Crumbling of Time
by Rinoako
Summary: Choices must be made when two sides must battle to fulfil a prophecy, but it all started with a tragic legend that began more than 50.000 years ago, a legend that will haunt every generation...set up like an RPG! RR, please!
1. Chapter 01 Hidden Secrets of the Past & ...

Hey thanks for taking an interest in my story I can tell you that you probably won't be disappointed if you like RPG's and the fantasy style genre, as well as angst and drama. This has been edited countless time, so I hope you like! Please read and review, I beg you!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
"You're not going to get away!" the young warrior bellowed. "I will get rid of you, even if it costs me my life! I will not allow you to continue to make others suffer!"  
  
The warrior ran after the obscure figure that was trying its best to flee. The creature ran until it was cornered on the edge of a precipice, but decided plunging to death was the lesser of two evils, so it leaped. The warrior was still hot in pursuit.  
  
"Don't try to deceive me, you jackass!" he screamed hysterically. "I know your magic won't permit you to die this way! I must kill you myself, kill you with my own hands!"  
  
And with that the young man recklessly leaped down into the murky depths below.  
  
Another young man came running up from behind, and paused momentarily to catch his breath, leaning over on his knees and heaving with fatigue. As he saw his friend jumping down the edge of the cliff his eyes widened and he started off, using the last preserve of energy he had left in his exhausted body to propel his feet to run.  
  
"Galen, what the hell are you doing?" he yelled. He reached the edge of the precipice and leaped down after his friend, somehow hoping that he would reach his friend and grab on a ledge safely in time.  
  
Meanwhile a massive rock had tumbled down the cliff as well, landing on the first warrior, crushing him, leaving him no hope.  
  
A young woman with bright eyes and dark chocolate brown hair, so dark that it was almost ebony, came running and stopped at the edge of the cliff, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
As she saw her loved one falling into the depths below she let out an agonized scream.  
  
"ZETH!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Sixty years later: Hidden Secrets of the Past  
  
The young man stood up, rubbing his inflamed elbow. He had a splitting headache, and he didn't have a clue of his whereabouts. He didn't know anything. He didn't remember anything. All he knew was that he had gotten slightly injured in some sort of fall.  
  
He looked around, perspicacious of his plight. He was in a large cave, and there was a great opening in the altitudinous ceiling, which allowed some dim rays of light to creep their way in.  
  
He concluded that the predicament he was in was fairly grim. He had no idea who he was, where he was, or what to do and where to go next. He sat down on a large rock, which was protruding out of the ground of the cave. Perhaps he should just wait for someone to eventually find him, but who knew how long that might take? He didn't even know how long he had been stranded here. All the thoughts in his head were making his head hurt, so he shut his eyes, and let himself slide into the world of dreams.  
  
He woke up to the sound of whispering wind that hissed in his ear. He sat up and looked around, startled. There was no one, but the cave seemed to be heating up, and the previously dark cave had brightened and there seemed to be a fiery vermilion flame surrounding him. He was stunned and automatically felt his muscles tensing in anticipation of defensive action, but something inside him told him to calm down, for it was only a spirit delivering him a message. He didn't know why he knew, he just knew. He tilted his head and listened.  
  
"Zzzzeeettthhh . . . Z . . . e . . . th . . ."  
  
He wrinkled his brow in confusion. That name . . . it sounded so familiar.  
  
"Z . . . e . . . th . . ."  
  
He stood up, quite frustrated.  
  
"Are you calling me? Is that my name?"  
  
"Zeth . . . .is . . . you."  
  
The young man sat down. Who the hell had been talking to him, and what kind of name was Zeth? How was he to get out of here? All of a sudden, the flame coalesced into a blazing figure of a tall man who seemed to be about Zeth's age. He looked familiar, but since his body was composed of fire, Zeth couldn't clearly distinguish his facial features.  
  
"Suppose my name is Zeth . . . who are you, then? And why are you haunting me?" he demanded.  
  
"Don't . . . forget . . . me . . . Zeth . . . don't forget any of us . . . go and live . . . and be happy . . . and keep her safe . . . like you promised us all . . . "  
  
"WHO ARE YOU?" Zeth bellowed in aggravation.  
  
"I can not tell you . . . I will not tell you . . . the only thing that I will tell you is that you are Zeth . . . and she is your Holy Angel. The Child of the Moon, the one sent from the Divine Ones above to love you and cherish you and safeguard you . . . but that doesn't mean that she is invulnerable . . . please protect her . . . or else . . . she will be taken away from you. You must try to save her, Zeth. Try to save her! She needs you as you need her . . . .you are the one who can extricate her . . . the only one. You have the power . . . as strong as hers but the opposite side of the coin . . . now I can see what I did not see before. You must keep her safe . . . don't fail her like I failed you . . . go back to her, Zeth . . ."  
  
"But who is this 'her' that you are talking about?" Zeth demanded in irritation, his face flushed.  
  
"You will know . . . when the time is right . . . " the spirit replied. "I will help you find her, Zeth. This is the last thing I can do for you . . . my friend . . . farewell until we meet again in the world of two moons . . ."  
  
And with that, the flame spirit dissipated, leaving Zeth even more befuddled than before.  
  
There was a shuffling sound in the ceiling that immediately caught his attention. A cluster of rocks rolled down from the ceiling, and were falling and crashing down to the bottom of the cave. Zeth ducked for cover, but when he looked up again to see what had caused the commotion, he saw that a ladder was being lowered. A young man with spiky jet-black hair and piercing aqua eyes, the same color as Zeth's, was staring at him as he was hanging down on the ladder. He was wearing ninja attire. The young man then opened his mouth to speak. The crude language that was spewed out of the young man's mouth was completely unexpected by Zeth.  
  
"Hey you! Who the @#$& are you and why the @#$% didn't you scream for help! If it weren't for me tryin' out my new sensor device no one would know that some stupid @$$ idiot was sleepin' off a hangover down here!" he yelled.  
  
Zeth looked up, confused.  
  
"Huh?" he asked, squinting into the light.  
  
"What the @#$& do you mean 'huh'? I mean who the @#$% are you!" the young man shouted at him.  
  
"I.I think my name is.Zeth," Zeth replied carefully.  
  
The guy gave him a piercing stare.  
  
"Are you telling me you lost your memory?" he asked in a softer, gentler tone, though not quite reduced to normal volume yet.  
  
Zeth looked up.  
  
"Well I don't remember anything.so I guess so."  
  
The young man sighed and threw his hands up in resignation.  
  
"Another case of amnesia, @#$% it! Oh well, then. Nothing we can do about that, huh. Come with me, I'll take ya to my hometown Mydele. By the way, the name's Zack. Zack Strife. Nice to meet ya."  
  
Zack motioned for Zeth to follow him up the ladder so Zeth stood up, took one last look at this temporary prison cell and stepped up onto the ladder.  
  
As soon as Zeth had ascended from the dim cave, the rays of sun seeped into his eyes, making them sting. However, he managed to see that there was an aircraft parked nearby. The sun was ablaze, but the sky was a lovely clear blue, and the clouds in the upper atmosphere looked like puffs of cotton spread out on a clear blue background, the wind blowing past in a gentle breeze.  
  
"So, how do you like the Windbird, my plane? She's right over there, ready to fly. Get in," Zack commanded.  
  
Zeth took a closer look at the aircraft. It was a dinky old red airplane that had cheesy white clouds and light blue feathers painted on it. He stepped up to it and climbed in. Inside there was the musty smell of old leather. There were four seats, so Zeth settled into the front passenger seat and gazed out the splintered window. It was cramped inside and he began to perspire, his dank burnt honey tresses being matted to his forehead and neck. A few moments later, Zack climbed in after him. His spiked black hair was so incompliant that it brushed the ceiling, and he turned around and looked at Zeth in the eye.  
  
"It's really weird actually finding a living, breathing person in that cave, because there's a legend that there was once a time warp in there," Zack said thoughtfully, still keeping his recurrent gaze on Zeth.  
  
Zeth tilted his head to the side and pursed his lips, rankled.  
  
"I really don't know, because I have no idea who I am and what I am doing here. What do you think I should do?" he said scathingly.  
  
Zack started the Windbird's engine and lifted off with great pride, either ignoring Zeth's causticity or completely missing it.  
  
"I'm gonna take you to an old acquaintance of mine. I think that maybe she'll be able to help. By the way, how old are ya? You look about my age, maybe a few years older. I'm eighteen. I know I look older than I am, but over the years I got to learn all my dad's combat skills so I'm pretty experienced in the battlefield. My grandfather fought in the Mage war, and taught my dad his spear skills, and my dad passed them on to me. I noticed that you have a mighty big sword there, the heavy kind that's made special for warriors. Looks like one my grandpa had. Are you some sort of whacked renegade or something?" Zack inquired.  
  
Zeth shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I recall nothing," he mumbled, somewhat taken aback by Zack's openness about his life.  
  
Zack glanced at him from the corner of his eye.  
  
"The strong, silent type, huh."  
  
Zeth just shook his head again and sat there staring out the window. Zack sighed again and kept on piloting the Windbird.  
  
They approached a moderately large town, which was in the middle of a forest that was surrounded by a mountain range.  
  
"This here's Mydele," Zack said. "A town that hasn't changed for about eighty years. Yep, good old Mydele is still the same, even after all the hardships the citizens have been through. Most warriors whom participated in the Mage war that occurred sixty years ago were trained here, and many of the best were born here. The fighting spirit is in the air."  
  
Zeth gazed in interest at the town that was gradually coming into view. The whole atmosphere and environment of this town gave him a comfortable and homespun sentiment. He felt like he had been here before, many times.  
  
Zack landed the airplane and the two young men got out.  
  
"Follow me," Zack instructed.  
  
Zack led him to a very large house that had some strange astrological signs dangling above the porch. The house was a quaint cottage with a small garden surrounding it.  
  
As he entered, he felt a bizarre sense of déjà vu. An odd feeling washed over him and he felt his heart beating faster.  
  
"Whose house is this?" he asked Zack.  
  
"Miss Zaria's, the town diviner. She's said to have holy powers, but I've never seen her use them. I know for sure that she knows a lot about the stars and astrology. They say that when she was young, her loved one died a tragic death, leaving her all alone. The story circulated throughout the continent of Nova, and there are many different versions. She never got married her whole life, although she certainly wasn't lacking in offers," Zack explained, shrugging.  
  
Zeth nodded slowly. "You know her well?" he asked. Zack smiled.  
  
"Yeah, we talked a lot.sometimes I forget that she's sixty years older than me.I tell her everything."  
  
"Oh, really?" Zeth said absently, turning away before Zack could reply. The strange feeling hadn't left him, but it had intensified, and now his heart was aching immensely. Zack led him to a room upstairs and opened the door delicately.  
  
"Hey Miss Zaria, I brought a friend who needs your help," Zack said amicably.  
  
In the room was an elderly lady sitting in a rocking chair, her eyes closed. As soon as she heard Zack she opened her eyes and looked toward them with a sleepy smile. She looked to be about seventy or so, but she had the most youthful emerald eyes that Zeth had ever seen.or thought he had seen. By her bed was a framed photograph of a radiant young woman with the same emerald eyes as Miss Zaria, and she had long, thick, dark hair which in the front she left loose hanging on her shoulders, the chocolate strands framing her face. Her hair appeared shoulder-length in the front, but in the back it reached down underneath her shoulder blades. She had tied a long green scarf in her hair, knotting it several inches beneath the base of her neck. She was wearing simple clothing suited for moving around in and had a large white bandage wrapped around her left leg. Her hands and fingers were long and slender and she was grasping two long, thin swords, one in each hand. Around her neck was a sable satin ribbon that had a single silver thread running through it. The young woman was the most refreshing and delightful sight that Zeth had ever seen, and he felt a taut sensation in his chest. She was neither slender nor voluptuous, but exquisite in his eyes. Her features were charming and she had an aura of self-assuredness around her. After Zeth had caught his breath, he turned around to face the elderly lady in the rocking chair. She looked elegantly regal and sophisticated. At first as her wintry eyes were transfixed on him she had a nonplussed look on her face, but after a moment she quickly regained her composure. Her emerald eyes turned glassy. Zeth noticed that she was wearing the same exact sable ribbon on her neck as the beautiful young woman in the picture, except the ebony velveteen luster of the ribbon had been faded and worn with age.  
  
"Hello, Miss Zaria," he said civilly, wondering if the lovely girl in the picture was Miss Zaria in her youth.  
  
"Hello, Zeth," she replied in a sagacious voice, a voice that seemed to have fathomed all the mysteries of the stars and universe.  
  
Zeth looked at her incredulously. How did she know his name? Almost reading his mind, she said, "Zeth, I know much more about you. You are special. You are one of the designated ones of the prophecy, the prophecy that I have foreseen and know that is precise. I have done much research about you and a few others and I know the road of trials that you will have to face, and overcome. The fate of many lives depends upon it."  
  
Zeth just stood there listening, wondering what she was talking about. What could he do? Sure, he had a gigantic sword and was wearing armor and looked like a warrior. Yet he was nobody.how could he fulfill a prophecy, much less an extraordinary one?  
  
"C-could you tell me more about myself, madam?" he asked, his voice trembling with the apprehension of discovering undesired knowledge about his past. What if he had been some kind of ruthless mercenary, or even worse, an assassin?  
  
Miss Zaria looked at him for a moment with her crystalline emerald eyes. Her eyes had an inexplicable gaze that was settling on him. The bright jade color in them seemed to cloud over and swirl around as if it was radioactive.  
  
She took a deep breath. "First of all, don't call me madam," she ordered. "Call me Zaria, for my name is Zaria Locke, as yours is Zeth Lanier. What your origin is I cannot tell you, but it is known that your home is Mydele, yet you were raised in the town of Galdia on the other side of the continent of Nova. Now as I look at you, as I see you, I perceive why you have lost your memory, but I cannot divulge that to you. You have loved and lost such as I have, but I think that you will find love again soon. I cannot tell you anymore, because that would be detrimental to your brain's defense mechanisms. You will eventually fathom the secrets of your past when you are mentally and emotionally equipped, and when that time comes, all the memories will be restored to you. When you are ready to begin implementation of the prophecy, I will aid you then. For now, leave me to my time to consult the wisdom of the stars. You may come back later."  
  
Zeth was stunned with her straightforwardness and abrupt dismissal. He had so many more questions. Who was the woman in the picture, and why did she look so familiar? What would make him one of the "special ones" to fulfill the prophecy? But, she was an old woman, and he was afraid to tire her by asking her too many things.  
  
"Thank you, Zaria," he finally said courteously.  
  
But what was he to do next? Zeth didn't know, but he gave a modest bow and exited the room. As soon as he and Zack were outside, Zack let out a long breath.  
  
"Whew!" he said. "I think for once, I might have actually done something productive!"  
  
Zeth wrinkled his brow in bafflement.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked Zack.  
  
Zack glanced over in his direction. "I mean that Miss Zaria's been implying about some upcoming occurrence for a long time. She says the only people who can save the world must come see her or they will never know their destiny. Those people are all descendants of warriors who fought in the Mage war, and if they do not start taking action before she dies, then prospects will dwindle. Miss Zaria has been very accurate about past events, so I see no reason to doubt her prophecy about this one."  
  
Zeth nodded. He still had one question plaguing his mind.  
  
"So.who was the woman in the photograph? She captivated me so, and I feel like.like I've known her or loved her before," he burst out, unable to keep his unascertained feelings hidden any longer.  
  
Zack turned around and gave him a strange look.  
  
"Um.that's Miss Zaria," he said cautiously, his eyes narrowed. Zeth looked up. "There is so much about myself I have yet to understand," he sighed.  
  
* * *  
  
After spending a night with Zack, Zeth got to know him much better. He found out about Zack's experiences, met his father, Ash Strife, and told him about what he did know about himself. The next night, Zack coerced Zeth into joining him for a drink at the local tavern.  
  
"Ya know ya want to, stud," he had mischievously hinted.  
  
Yes, Zeth did want to go, but for different reasons that Zack thought. He didn't want to go to enjoy himself, but he wanted to find out what Zaria had been saying about something at the bar. He hadn't caught what she was saying at the time, if she even had mentioned such a thing.  
  
As they entered the bar, the music from the jukebox blared. Zeth felt dizzy already, and he felt out of place in his warrior paraphernalia as haggard laborers sat down to have a relaxing drink after a laborious day of work. He and Zack seated themselves at a small table, and Zack ordered some drinks for them. A comely young woman with long nondescript hair and enthralling light charcoal gray eyes served their drinks, and she looked at Zeth with a gaze of interest. Zeth stared right back at her with an insipid look on his face, not really perceiving her and not aware of what he was doing. She was wearing violet warrior-like clothing, the same kind that many of the Mage warriors had worn as their daily clothing during wartime.  
  
"So, what's your name?" she asked Zeth perkily, smiling at him. As soon as he heard her voice, he broke out of his tired trance.  
  
"W-what?"  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Zeth Lanier," he responded tenebrously, keeping his eyes riveted to the table. He didn't feel much like verbalizing with anyone so he hoped she would get the hint and go away.  
  
"I'm Breanna," she continued unreservedly, flashing that ostentatious but alluring smile of hers again.  
  
"I didn't ask," muttered Zeth.  
  
"Well, I wanted you to know my name because it's a commonly recognized name in Mydele," she replied smoothly, winking flirtatiously.  
  
She then flipped her hair and sauntered away.  
  
Zeth, with a dazed look on his face, turned around to look at Zack questioningly, who raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Breanna Cole," he said, shaking his head. "A very nefariously - well, not quite - prevalently known young woman in this town, although she's only seventeen. Her family is one of the wealthiest families in Mydele, but she's not a spoiled rich girl - not the way you would think. She doesn't really notice the new guys, but she seemed pretty interested in you."  
  
Zeth shrugged and turned back to his drink. He sat there, imperturbable, his mind so full yet so blank and empty. He didn't know what to think about anything.he was so perplexed about everything.  
  
"Breanna, don't you DARE walk away from me," a voice boomed from the other side of the tavern.  
  
Zeth and Zack turned around to see some degenerate forcefully seizing Breanna by the wrist.  
  
"Let go of me," she warned, but the guy didn't let go.  
  
"LET GO OF HER," Zeth bellowed, standing up abruptly.  
  
The guy whirled around, not letting go of Breanna's arm. She winced in discomfort.  
  
"Wanna make something of it, pretty boy?" he threatened, lifting his fist.  
  
Zeth started toward the guy but stopped advancing as Breanna lifted up her free arm and punched the guy squarely in the face, and he fell to the ground with a large thump. Breanna stood over him, dusting herself off with a smug little smile on her face.  
  
Her eyes scanned the room until her gaze rested on Zeth.  
  
"Thank you for distracting him, Zeth," she said calmly.  
  
Zeth flushed and turned away but then Zack grabbed his arm.  
  
"Go talk to her," he muttered.  
  
Zeth reddened even more, but took a step toward Breanna. Breanna smiled and put her hand on his, her soft touch tantalizing as it burned through his skin.  
  
"Zeth, I hope to talk to you again. I want to get to know you better."  
  
And with that, she turned on her heel and sauntered away, leaving Zeth speechless at her audacity to be so intrepid and immodest. He sighed, turning back to Zack, whose eyes were wide. Somehow, Zeth just knew that wasn't going to be the last time that he saw Breanna Cole.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning as soon as he had brushed his teeth, he heard Zack's doorbell ring. He went down and opened the door, and saw Zaria.  
  
"Um, hello Zaria, please come in," he said politely, the curiosity written all over his face.  
  
Zaria took one glance at him and then laughed, and then her expression turned serious, and she looked at him with those beautiful emerald eyes.  
  
"Zeth, I have much to explain," she said quietly. "Let's sit down."  
  
Zeth called Zack over and the three of them sat down in Zack's living room to have a talk.  
  
"Zeth, Zack, I believe you have met one of the warriors of Mage," she said. "You encountered her last night in a bar. Her name is Breanna Cole."  
  
As soon as Zeth heard that name he froze. Zaria raised her eyebrows slightly and continued. "You all must start on your journey soon. But, before you leave Mydele, the prophecy states that you must have four in your party. There is one more of the warriors that you need to find, and I am the one. Therefore, I will go with you," she finished, a smug grin on her weathered face.  
  
"Um," Zeth said, and pursed his lips. He was about to open his mouth to say something else until Zack shushed him quickly.  
  
"Hear me out first," croaked Zaria. She paused and cleared her throat. "I have an old heirloom that has been passed down in my family for generations which I have kept with me all these years, and now has come the time in which I intend to use it."  
  
She reached into a pocket that was hidden in her billowing robes and brought forth a small vial with some blue elixir in it. The vial emitted a soft cerulean glow, bathing her hands in blue light.  
  
"This is the Water of Youth, and this dosage will deduct sixty years from my age, so I will physically be eighteen again. When I am in that condition, I will be able to trek and fight the enemies that you will meet in your quest."  
  
Zeth was silent, but kept his eyes on the vial.  
  
"If you think that this is right and won't be hazardous to your health, then go ahead and drink it, Zaria," said Zack dubiously, his face exhibiting his doubt.  
  
Zaria nodded and brought the vial to her lips. She poured the cool blue liquid down her throat and then just sat there, waiting. Nothing seemed to change.  
  
"Um.Zaria," Zeth started, trying to point out the obvious.  
  
He stopped short when he saw the changes beginning to appear. Zaria's skin tightened and smoothed out, eliminating the soft wrinkles in her face and body. Her hair grew and became thick and rich, the dark chocolate strands shimmering in the light. Her spine rectified, making her sit up straight and she became poised and charming. The only thing that didn't change was the ribbon around her neck. She was the girl in the photograph that he had seen in her room the other day. She looked very elegant, except that the voluminous robes she wore hung on her body in a peculiar fashion, being uncomfortably tight and awkwardly baggy in different regions.  
  
"Oh gosh!" Zaria exclaimed in a crystal clear, sonorous voice, a voice that sounded very familiar to Zeth. The sound of that voice made Zeth's heart ache.  
  
Zaria politely excused herself to go change her clothing, and when she returned, she was wearing warrior raiment that was similar to what she had on in the framed picture by her bed and had also donned simple leather boots. Zeth couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked strangely familiar. No matter how hard he tried to compel himself, he just couldn't shake off the feeling. She was staring back at him with those glittering emerald eyes, her gaze boring into his soul. It was as if she knew all about his past, knew all his secrets, which even he himself couldn't fathom.  
  
Meanwhile, Zack was looking at Zaria in awe as well. He knew that she was the same woman as he had seen in the photograph for many years, but seeing that woman in person was just.amazing. She had a winsome smile on her face and was gazing softly at Zeth, who was doing the same to her.  
  
What was it with those two? How did they seem to know each other inside and out so well?  
  
All of a sudden, there was the sound of knocking at the door. Zack got up and went to answer the door, leaving Zeth and Zaria staring at each other in the living room.  
  
"Zaria, I feel like I've known you from somewhere," Zeth breathed, his eyes still riveted on her.  
  
She looked down reticently. "You have," she murmured under her breath, shifting her gaze up towards him again in a coquettish manner. "What?" Zeth asked.  
  
She shook her head and looked down at her boots.  
  
"It's a long story."  
  
Zeth opened his mouth to speak but his voice was cut off by Breanna's voice.  
  
"Zeth, I knew you were here! Did you miss me?" she exclaimed. She strode confidently towards Zeth, her chin raised.  
  
Zaria looked back and forth at Zeth and Breanna with a confused look on her face.  
  
"I-I-I'm staying here with Zack, Breanna," he stammered, glancing over at Zaria, his face burning with abashment.  
  
Breanna smiled winningly and followed Zeth's gaze to Zaria. Her eyes narrowed perceptively.  
  
"Zack, you're looking handsomer than ever," she commented, trying not to discern the manner in which Zeth was gawking at Zaria.  
  
Zack blushed and shook his head vehemently. Zaria frowned and said, "I am Zaria Locke, Breanna. I think you know me. I have been youthened, so my appearance has been somewhat altered."  
  
Breanna lifted a brow and stared hard at Zaria.  
  
"It really is her, the princess of Mydele herself," she muttered, with just a hint of astringency in her voice that nobody but Zeth was able to catch.  
  
Zaria looked confused for a moment, but then decided to ignore the remark and smiled warmly at Breanna.  
  
"Breanna, you have nothing tying you down at the moment, right?" she asked. Breanna nodded her head, still with that distrustful look in her eyes.  
  
"Did I ever, really? Does it look like I do?"  
  
"Well then, you must come with us," Zaria continued, ignoring the fierceness in Breanna's blazing eyes. "You know the reasons, for I have once explained them to you. Tomorrow morning, we will all leave for the town of Kankino. And all of you, remember, that the enemy has not made its entrance into our world yet, but we must take action to prevent it. We need to find all eight 'Warriors of Mage' first, and then at the Northern Crater, we will go to the place where the threat will be and create a magical barrier. We need everyone's power. Right now we only have four of the eight. We only have the power of Ultima magic, which belongs to Zeth, Earth magic, which Breanna uses, and Zack's power of Apocalypse magic. I have curative powers that I can use to restore anyone's health with no need of potions or elixirs, and I also have the power of Holy, which I don't really understand how to use yet," she admitted, an rueful grin on her face.  
  
All of them nodded, each with different expressions of his or her face. Yet they kept quiet. Zaria was puzzled, since she had expected millions of questions from each of them. There was a moment of silence and finally Breanna got up to leave, but before she left she winked provocatively at Zeth. Zack promptly excused himself from an awkward situation and also departed the room. Zeth took a deep breath, and after a few moments of silence he turned to Zaria.  
  
"Zaria, what are you saying? I don't understand what you're talking about. What is Ultima magic? How do I control it?" Zeth asked, the questions pouring out now that they finally had privacy.  
  
Zaria looked at Zeth, still with the diffident smile on her face.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't explain this to you earlier, Zeth. Ultima magic is one of the mysteries of the universe, and only the controller is capable of completely understanding it, as is the case with other magic. All I know is that it is one of the heavenly magical elements. There are only two heavenly magic elements, Holy and Ultima, and they are both very complicated. Ultima is just a short way to say 'Ultimate Destruction' which is what Ultima can do if used at its highest level. You can only use it when you find the power within yourself," she explained.  
  
"Oh I see." Zeth trailed off. Since she was being so open about everything to him now.maybe he would confront her with his feelings and see what she thought about it, so maybe she could tell him why he felt this way. She seemed to know a lot about things. He knew it was foolish of him, but he felt so lost and didn't know which way to turn. He took a deep breath and began his disclosure that he knew he would regret right after.  
  
"Tell me, Zaria, why do I feel like I know you so well? Why do I have such strange feelings when I'm around you?" he asked her, his eyes full of pain, his voice thick with emotion. Zaria looked at him forlornly, the tears that were burning in her eyes threatening to spill.  
  
"I can't tell you yet, Zeth," she said, shaking her head vigorously, turning away from him. The droplets splattered from her face.  
  
"But why?" he demanded. "You don't know how much this is affecting me, Zaria. How much you're affecting me. My whole heart aches when you are near. It's such a delicate feeling that I don't even dare to try to control it, and yet it intensifies like a fueled flame when I'm near you. I don't know where this emotion that I have come across has come from," he mumbled, shifting his gaze away.  
  
Zaria was crying openly now. She took a few deep breaths before bursting out with an assertion of her own.  
  
"Don't say anything else, Zeth, I don't want to hear it! You're not supposed to feel this way, and neither am I!" she shouted, her voice cracking, and she tore out of the room.  
  
Zeth was left sitting there alone. He had revealed to Zaria everything in his heart, and he had gotten no answer from her, no reply. Was he truly alone? He didn't understand anything. How he wished that he could remember his past. He wished so many things, but it seemed like deep in his heart, what he wanted most was to see Zaria happy. It was something he couldn't control. He just knew that somehow, before he had been in the cave, whether it was this life or a past life, he had known and cared for Zaria. But she probably hadn't returned his love, and most likely never would. So, he would have to stop trying to win her heart so she wouldn't pity him and make him wallow in self pity, for he knew he hated self pity. He would let things go with the flow, whichever way that would take the situation.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Zeth, Zack, and Breanna met each other as planned in Zack's large backyard, where the Windbird was waiting. Zaria showed up about five minutes later, wearing her armored clothing and carrying a small knapsack containing her belongings.  
  
"I hope you all brought some spare clothing," she mumbled, avoiding Zeth's intent gaze. She opened her knapsack and took out two weapons. She handed the first one to Breanna.  
  
"Breanna, here's a unique pair of fighting gloves. I've upgraded their quality and put in this Earth orb, which will increase the power of your magic," she informed her, pointing to a green magic orb embedded in the right glove. Breanna took them tentatively and muttered a "thank you" barely loud enough for Zaria to hear.  
  
Zaria then handed the next object to Zack.  
  
"Zack, here's your spear, with the Apocalypse orb embedded in it. Don't go around poking people for fun like you used to."  
  
Zack smiled, took the spear and winked at her. "Don't worry, milady," he said, his voice deep.  
  
Zaria gave him a peculiar look and then looked down. She slowly raised her eyes to look up at Zeth.  
  
"Zeth . . . you have your sword . . . from a while back, and I have my twin swords . . . so let's go. I hope you all haven't gotten your fighting skills rusty, because who knows who or what we might meet."  
  
She then quickly cast her eyes downward again, her expression not open for questions. They all got into the Windbird, Breanna complaining all the while about the dingy seats, and Zack lifted off while avidly defending his beloved plane. Zaria and Zeth were quiet, sitting as far away from each other as possible.  
  
Late in the evening they arrived in Kankino, one of the biggest cities on the whole continent of Nova. It was under the control of the Toki government, which was a government governed by corrupt officials. They checked into a hotel to rest and regain their strength, for the long ride in the small plane had exhausted them. When night fell, Zack asked Zeth to go to the nearby pub with him.  
  
"Zeth, this past day you've been so down.what the @#$! is wrong with you?! I think you're the reason Zaria's in a bad mood too! What the !@#$ did you do this time?! Aw, forget it, Zeth. Just come and have a drink with me. I think we both need it. I know we both need it."  
  
Zeth didn't really want to go anywhere or do anything, but he went with Zack anyway. Zack ordered them some drinks and then they sat down at the bar. The atmosphere in the pub was dark, smelly, and claustrophobic, basically the same as any other. Zeth felt nauseated and his head was throbbing with pain. Was this life? Was this the best that his life would be? Would he never find another way to feel better than to come to a bar and get drunk? His head was swimming with questions.he almost wished that Zack hadn't found him.but if Zack hadn't, then he wouldn't have met Zaria.but would it have been better for everyone if he had never met Zaria? He didn't know.he didn't know what to think anymore. His head hurt.and it didn't help that the people next to him were speaking very loudly.  
  
"Did you hear about that town Mydele?"  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"The government is after someone from Mydele now, you know. I think it's some teenager.her name is Sarah or something like that. She's this really old woman who's rumored to have a valuable vial of some potion that youthens people. The government wants it real bad."  
  
"So did they get it?"  
  
"No.they went to Mydele just this morning and found out the woman took the potion and went somewhere.they're looking for her now. She's supposed to be some teenage adolescent girl who can use magic, but if they catch her, it's into the labs for the rest of her life, I can guarantee you."  
  
"Isn't that kind of harsh for just a potion?"  
  
"Not really.the government really wants this stuff.it's possible to extract it from her DNA.they'd do anything for it. Oh, I also heard that she's some sort of unearthly witch who thinks she can see the future."  
  
"Now that's a laugh."  
  
"Seriously! She predicted that there's going to be some threat to the world that will appear in the testing site at the Northern Crater.she's probably going to go with some of her so-called magic-user friends and destroy the project.I heard that they're pretty experienced warriors."  
  
"Whoa! The government has been working on this project for quite some time! They'll do anything to stop anyone who tries to get in the way!"  
  
"I know! But this enchantress thinks that she's special because she lived in the Mage war times.those were the dark ages.all they used then was magic."  
  
"Yeah, it's very rare to find powerful magic users in this day. Technology is the new way."  
  
"Definitely, and the opening up of the hole in the universe will bring in so many new possibilities for our future!"  
  
"Aren't they afraid something sinister will come through the hole?"  
  
"Doubtful. Anyway, the government has very advanced weapons."  
  
"This Sarah girl must be a real threat."  
  
"Yeah, that's why they need to catch her in a hurry. She might ruin the whole project. In fact, they're looking for her now here in Kankino."  
  
Zeth sat and listened, open-mouthed. Meanwhile, Zack was getting himself very intoxicated, drinking countless shots of aqua vitae.  
  
"Zack, we need to go to the hotel and warn Zaria!" Zeth exclaimed, turning to Zack.  
  
"The @#$% you talkin' about?" Zack shouted, waving his hands about. "Get me another shot of that #$%^ now!" he demanded, obviously not in his right mind.  
  
"Zack, the government is after Zaria!" Zeth whispered forcefully. He grabbed his friend by the shoulders, trying to shake him out of his drunken stupor. "They're here now, looking for her! We have to go warn her! Let's go now, please!"  
  
"Zaria? HAHAHA! Who's she?" Zack slurred. He then started laughing wildly, falling off the chair.  
  
Zeth sighed and exasperatedly pulled himself up and ripped out of the bar. He ran all the way to the hotel and ran up twenty-two floors to Zaria's room. The door was swinging wide open, and Zaria wasn't in there. Neither was Breanna.  
  
"Where is she? Where are they?" Zeth moaned, turning around.  
  
He was in a massive state of panic. The woman he cared for.maybe even loved.was missing, and what's more, she was in grave danger! He ran downstairs to the hotel lobby and saw Breanna sitting by herself, flipping through a magazine.  
  
"Breanna!" he called. "Have you seen Zaria? I can't find her anywhere! She's in trouble! We have to find her NOW!" he shouted.  
  
Breanna looked up, a baffled look on her face.  
  
"But I thought she was in our room.or she's not there?" Breanna asked, her eyes widening.  
  
"NO!" Zeth exclaimed, distraught and agitated. He dashed out of the hotel leaving Breanna clueless. In his frenzy he accidentally knocked a small girl over.  
  
"I'm sorry, so sorry," he babbled as he helped her up.  
  
"Whoa, calm down there," she said in a dulcet little voice. "What's wrong?"  
  
"No time to explain," he panted, shaking his head. "Must find Zaria!"  
  
The girl's eyes widened as she absorbed the information. Ideas clicked in her head. This could be the chance she was waiting for!  
  
"Are you talking about Zaria Locke? The one the government is after?" she asked him eagerly.  
  
"Yes, yes!" he cried, the words flowing out of his mouth. "Have you seen her? I can't find her! I'm supposed to be taking care of her and now . . . I think she's in trouble! Do you know where she is?"  
  
The girl froze for a moment. Should she tell him where she predicted Zaria would have been taken? Was it wise to trust this young man?  
  
"Do you know where she is?" Zeth repeated.  
  
"Um . . . I think I can help you find her," the girl finally said. She motioned for Zeth to follow and dashed off in the direction of a large building. As she was running, she took out a weapon. It was a heavy- looking long black whip. Zeth was confused. Would they need to fight people to get Zaria back? He had thought if he merely broke in . . .  
  
"Do I need to use a weapon?" he yelled as they were running.  
  
"Yes, take whatever weapon you have out to use! You'll definitely need it!" she answered. She turned back to him, her lips pursed. "Are you telling me you think that we can quietly liberate a captive from a Toki government building?" she asked in disbelief. She shook her head and started running again. They ran up to the building and the girl started up the stairs. They went up about twenty floors, and Zeth's legs were killing him once they reached the floor that the girl indicated was the right one.  
  
"Where is she?" he panted, looking around.  
  
"On this floor," she replied. "Shhh." She sneaked into the hallway and then suddenly stopped and motioned for him to be quiet. Zeth could hear voices conversing.  
  
"Do you have the Locke girl?"  
  
"Yes, she's in cell 23, sir."  
  
"Go guard her, I'll stay here."  
  
"All right, sir."  
  
"Watch her well, she's a very important one to the Toki project. If anything happens to her, you lose your position."  
  
"Understood, sir."  
  
The girl turned to Zeth and then frantically gestured for Zeth to launch a surprise attack on the guard. Zeth nodded and lunged at the guard from behind, knocking him out. He ran on to the next room and the girl followed him wordlessly. What neither of them noticed was that the guard was not completely insentient. With his last ounce of energy, the guard dragged himself over to the control table and pressed his finger on the button marked EMERGENCY PROCEDURE. He then collapsed.  
  
* * *  
  
Zeth ran into the next room, swung the hilt of his sword onto the guard's head and the guard sagged to the ground.  
  
"Where is she?" he cried fearfully.  
  
The girl whipped her head around, her long hair whirling. "I thought the guard said she was in cell 23."  
  
Zeth nodded and ran around the maze of prison cells, looking for cell number 23. The whole place was so empty.  
  
"Zaria!" he yelled.  
  
"Zeth! I'm here!" he heard faintly.  
  
He ran in the direction of the voice. Meanwhile he heard heavy footsteps coming from the same direction. As he was running, he heard a scream.  
  
"Zaria!" he called. He then heard another scream.  
  
"That doesn't sound good at all," the girl remarked, shaking her head, her violet locks bobbing.  
  
They kept on running, and finally they reached cell 23 and witnessed a sight that made Zeth's blood boil. There was a zombie, a very large one, hovering over Zaria and preparing to suck the life out of her. Zaria looked horribly frightened, and she turned around and saw Zeth. A single tear dropped out of her eye, almost unconsciously, and the look she gave him was full of pure terror.  
  
Zeth let out a shrill war cry and with supernatural strength started effortlessly hacking away the bars of the cell with his sword, and then the zombie started charging out towards him. He hacked it into pieces, and the pieces fell to the floor. He ran over to Zaria and reached for her hand when he felt a hand on his back. Zaria screamed in fear and her gaze was fixed beyond him. Zeth turned around and saw that the pieces of the zombie had somehow reconnected themselves back together. He slashed his sword repeatedly through the zombie's body, relentlessly hacking away, yet the zombie reformed over and over again.  
  
"That's not gonna work!" the girl yelled, violently shoving Zeth aside. "Let me take care of this!"  
  
She took her whip and held it in front of herself and concentrated on the yellow magic orb embedded inside of the handle. All of a sudden, the zombie was brutally struck down by a bolt of lightning, and at the same time, the girl had jumped forward and struck the zombie with her whip, so there was a loud cracking sound. The zombie fell back for a moment, but then got up again. The girl looked very frustrated, and repeated her gesture. This time, an even larger bolt of lightning struck the zombie, and she used a double whip-crack, but it still didn't fall.  
  
Zeth looked around in desperation, and decided to try his own Ultima magic orb that had been found along with him in the cave. He stared into the crystal orb and concentrated very hard, looking deep into the orb, searching for the hidden power, which only he had the ability to use. All of a sudden he felt a pulsing sensation penetrate throughout him, and he felt like he was going through some sort of torture. He cringed in agony, and his body took on a green glow. After a few seconds the pain ceased, but he could feel the powerful magic radiating throughout his entire body.  
  
"Ultima Pulsar Wave!" he yelled. The words just seemed to flow out of his mouth. He didn't mean to say anything, but at the moment, uttering that phrase seemed like the most natural thing to do.  
  
The power in him started draining, and it shot into the body of the zombie. The zombie howled, and its body disintegrated into the green light. Then the green light slowly faded, and finally disappeared. Zeth fell down on his knees, breathing hard. Drops of sweat dripped off his chin onto the floor. The girl was standing in the corner looking awestruck. Zeth turned to Zaria. She was looking at him with eyes full of gratitude, and tears running down her cheeks. He heaved himself up and took a step towards Zaria. There was so much to say, but he couldn't seem to remember what.  
  
"Zaria." he murmured.  
  
She stood there, looking ashamed, feeling weak and helpless. She had thought that she would have been able to defend herself! She felt so.useless. All of a sudden a loud alarm blared throughout the building. The girl's eyes widened and she looked at Zeth and Zaria and said, "The time has come for us to make our heroic escape. RUN!"  
  
They all started running, but Zaria momentarily had to pause to retrieve her twin swords from the storage room, and when they started running again, they saw about ten guards charging towards them. Zaria stumbled and fell, and one guard almost grabbed hold of her ankle, but then Zeth took out his sword and hacked threateningly at the guard's hand. The guard accepted the challenge and him and all his other comrades stood their ground. Zeth dispatched them in about five seconds each, whipping his sword about expertly. He then slung the injured Zaria onto his back and ran. Meanwhile, the girl was setting a bombing device down on the ground in the building, and she turned around to see Zeth staring at her.  
  
"Keep running!" she shouted at him. "I'm gonna blow this joint!"  
  
They ran down twenty-two floors and ran out of the building. They continued to run down the main street and saw Breanna and Zack, whom in the chaos and confusion started running after them shouting, "Wait!"  
  
They ran at the speed of lightning until they reached the Windbird and they jumped on and Zack lifted off.  
  
"What the @#$& was that, Zeth!" Zack shouted. He raised the plane higher and higher, and all of a sudden a large explosion was heard. "Oh #$%^!!!! That government building is blowing up! What the $%&^ is all this?"  
  
The impact of the explosion reached the dinky plane and pieces of debris flew and struck the engine. Strange whirring sounds were heard, and Zack swore angrily. The plane then began swerving towards the ground.  
  
"Holy #$%^! Get out! The Windbird's gonna blow soon!" Zack yelled hysterically. They all scrambled out one by one, leaping off the plane that was only about four meters above the ground and jumped behind a sheltered area and Zack's precious plane blew up, the flames swelling, smothering everything in sight.  
  
  
  
"@#$%^&*!!!!!!!!!!!!" Zack yelled. "My plane!"  
  
Zaria shut her eyes and put her face in her hands. Breanna and Zeth looked on in shock, and the girl with them looked very shaken. The blast ended, and Zack ran out to see if there was anything he could salvage from the blast. Finally, Zeth turned around to face the girl with purple hair.  
  
"Thank you for helping me find Zaria," he said gratefully.  
  
The girl smiled warmly at him. "No problem. It was my mission to terminate operations in that Toki government building anyway. I hope the townspeople are okay," she said worriedly.  
  
Zaria looked at the girl thankfully. "Thank you so much. By they way, I didn't catch your name."  
  
"I'm Cat Chere," the girl replied instantly, and smiled again with an impish glint in her twinkling dark eyes.  
  
Cat was a cute little girl, with her long, swirling violet hair and dark eyes. She was garbed in a short lemon-colored dress that complemented her hair. She wore one thigh-high boot and one ankle-high boot, both of which were yellow with extravagant golden gilt on them, in stark contrast to Zaria and Breanna's frugal boots. One feature that no one had noticed about her before was her elven ears, which jutted out of the swirls and waves of her purple locks.  
  
"I'm Zaria Locke," said Zaria. "And this is Zeth Lanier, Zack Strife, and Breanna Cole. I'm sorry we got you into all this trouble."  
  
Cat smiled yet again and said, "That's all right. Zaria, I have a lot of inside information about you, because the government is currently hot on your heels. I can guarantee you that if you are caught, you will be shut up in labs for a very long time. I'm heading for the headquarters of a government resistance group that many are part of. Many innocent government victims have joined us, and they are kept safe from harm due to the dedication of our team! You should come with me. We can help keep you hidden from government eyes," she said emphatically, her own eyes wide.  
  
Zaria laughed, and opened her mouth to reply. "I think -"  
  
"If it will keep Zaria safe, then we are willing to go anywhere or do anything," interjected Zeth.  
  
Everyone nodded in agreement, Zaria looking slightly miffed at being interrupted.  
  
"Hey Cat, did I see you using thunder magic?" Zaria finally inquired. "That's pretty impressive. I haven't seen anyone use it in a long while."  
  
"Yeah," Cat replied. "I could use it since I was small. It's weird, because no one else I knew could use that orb to do anything, but I could somehow summon lightning from it."  
  
Zaria looked closely at Cat, inspecting her. Cat stepped back slightly.  
  
"Cat, are you a descendant of a Mage warrior?" she asked.  
  
Cat shrugged. She looked confused.  
  
"I don't actually know, because I'm adopted. I'd like to go out into the world to find my real parents and find out my heritage," she admitted.  
  
"Yes, we will help you find out then," Zaria said peremptorily. "There's a chance that you might be one of the eight warriors meant to save the planet."  
  
Cat looked dubitable. "Me? I don't think so. What are you talking about, anyway? What are these eight warriors supposed to do?"  
  
Zaria gave Cat a pensive look, ignoring her questions. "Well I think that you are one of them, Cat, because I did see your power. You have an extraordinary amount of thunder power, and that's very rare. Only once in my life have I seen someone with the ability to produce thunder, and that was a very long time ago."  
  
Cat just shrugged again. "How old are you guys?"  
  
"I'm seventeen, and they're eighteen. Zeth is twenty-three," Breanna replied curtly. "Cool!" Cat exclaimed. "I'm seventeen too!"  
  
"Aren't you kind of small for your age?" Breanna said, smirking. Cat's face went bright red and she looked furious, so no one else commented. Breanna sighed disdainfully and turned to Zaria.  
  
"Excuse me princess, but what do we do now?" she asked Zaria derisively, her eyes narrowed.  
  
Zaria looked over at Zack, who was brooding near his busted aircraft. "Wait for him to start feeling a little better first," she whispered to them. "I feel sorry for the him. Poor Zack." She slowly turned to Zeth. "Thank you for saving me, Zeth," she said bashfully.  
  
She rose up onto her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek. Zeth's face turned crimson and he stood there, frozen in shock.  
  
Cat quickly glanced in Breanna's direction, and then came up to stand by Zaria, bringing her head up near hers.  
  
"Zaria, he is cute, you know! Zeth seems like such a cool guy! I think Breanna is jealous," she whispered in Zaria's ear. Zaria's face turned pink and she turned around gave Cat a condescending look.  
  
"Let's go," she commanded in a voice of authority, ignoring the other questioning faces. Cat shrugged again. Zaria sure seemed to ignore a lot of her comments.  
  
  
  
  
  
That was it for the first chapter! I hope you liked it! I have fourteen chapters of this finished already, but I'm only posting 8 for now until I get some reviews, so I know people are actually reading this story I worked so hard on :0 so pleeeeeeease read and review! In this chapter, I'm still in the process of introducing the characters, so even if you think it's a little slow, please keep on reading because it will get better! 


	2. Chapter 02 A New Beginning

Hi! Please read and review . . . the chapters get better as it goes along. It's a really complex story.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A New Beginning  
  
They had been walking for days, attempting to seek the abandoned city of Najida. Najida was a city that had supposedly been destroyed during the Mage war, but now, the abandoned and secluded area was the perfect place for the headquarters of the government resistance group that Cat was talking about. Cat had a friend there whose name was Vincent, and he was one of the organizers.  
  
"Where is the #$%^&* city?" Zack grumbled. He sighed loudly to accentuate his remark.  
  
"I'm trying to find it, okay?" Cat shot back in a wearied tone as she scanned the horizon.  
  
"Then try harder!" Zack returned, exasperated. "Or else go jump in the lake, midget!" Cat opened her mouth to retort when she saw Zaria's facial expression and stopped.  
  
Zaria shook her head gently. "Please stop quarreling. I don't need to be hearing any of this right now."  
  
Cat turned to Zack and rolled her eyes. "Zack, if you think you would do a better job finding it than me, why don't you go find it then! Now you go do that while I go jump in the lake!" she declared, glaring at Zack. She stuck her tongue out impertinently. Zaria chuckled to herself and turned away.  
  
Cat stomped over to a nearby lake and waded in to prove her point. Zack angrily threw his belongings down on the ground and plopped down in a huff, and Zeth, Zaria, and Breanna sat down as well.  
  
"Zaria, do we have a time limit as to how long we have to build the barrier?" Breanna asked, for that moment forgetting her nastiness towards Zaria.  
  
Zaria looked surprised and then seemed cogitative for a moment.  
  
"The prophecy proclaims that when the planets are perfectly aligned is when evil will befall the earth and all who dwell on it unless the eight Mage warrior descendants manage to create the barrier in time. I don't know when that is, but when all the warriors are assembled then I can calculate it then by using numerology. I think that at the time, the stars will also be able to tell me," she explained.  
  
Breanna sighed. "And here we are, wasting precious time because Princess Cat is having a temper tantrum."  
  
"Bree, you seem to use the word 'princess' as a negative connotation rather often," Zack observed.  
  
All of a sudden, a terrified scream cut through the air like a knife. The strident sound resounded from Cat's direction. Everyone turned their heads and saw a water serpent, one of the largest predators in the sea. It was hovering over Cat's head, about to strike.  
  
"Eeeeeek!" Cat screamed, otherwise immobile.  
  
"Oh @#$%, I'll never make it!" swore Zack, picking up his spear.  
  
The serpent struck, all was a blur, and Cat was gone.  
  
"Cat!" Zaria cried, and she started running towards the lake, but was held back by Zeth.  
  
Zaria looked down at the ground and she saw a shadow forming, and it grew larger and larger. She turned around and shrieked when she saw a winged man carrying Cat and setting her down on the ground. Cat had fainted and was just lying there, motionless. The winged man landed and took a step towards the party.  
  
For a moment, they all simply stood there, but then Zaria bravely took a step forward and said, "Who are you?"  
  
"Yeah, and what the hell are you doing, sneaking up like that?" Breanna demanded crudely.  
  
The man looked at Zaria and then at Breanna. "My name is Adrian and I'm sixteen years old, so I'm not old enough or smart enough to assault anyone," he replied humorlessly in an almost human voice.  
  
"It can talk!" Breanna screeched, scrambling away in fear.  
  
"Shut the #$%^ up, Breanna," cursed Zack, rolling his eyes and giving her a jostle.  
  
Zaria slowly extended her slender hand to Adrian. He had sanguine eyes and silky raven hair that hung over his eyes and was all tousled up on his head, and he would've been very handsome with nice hair if only his face looked less threatening. However, his skin was paper-white, which gave him the appearance of a vampire.  
  
"Hello Adrian," she replied clearly. "I'm Zaria Locke, and these are my friends Cat Chere, Zeth Lanier, Breanna Cole, and Zack Strife. Thank you for saving Cat's life."  
  
Adrian slowly began to smile, and his whole appearance literally was altered. His wings shrunk into his back and then completely disappeared. His eyes became hazel with flecks of gold, and his hair turned into a silky rust-colored honey shade, almost the same color as Zeth's. His skin also darkened into a tanned golden shade, a normal human being shade, in contrast to the stark off-white color it had been before. His elven ears rounded themselves out, looking like normal ears. The small fangs in his smile disappeared. Overall, he was a normal good-looking human being with an impish smile. He took Zaria's hand and shook it.  
  
"Hi, Zaria, nice to meet you. I'm Adrian Wingheart, a descendant of the Mage Wingheart warriors. I morph from a human state to a cross between a vampire and a harpy state. What are you all doing in a place like this?" he politely asked. "It's quite perilous in these plains."  
  
"We're trying to find Najida, wherever that damn town is," Breanna inserted rudely.  
  
"Oh, Najida!" Adrian exclaimed. "That's only a mile or so from here! I can show you the way if you wish, for I'm on my way there."  
  
"Yes, please do," replied Zaria.  
  
Adrian looked at Zaria and then looked at Zeth, then moved his glance to Zaria again, and then went back to Zeth.  
  
"Are you two descendants of Link Lanier?" he inquired.  
  
Zeth was bewildered. Who was Link Lanier? Zaria's face looked completely emotionless.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Adrian. You must be mistaken," Zaria replied quietly, trying not to broach the issue between Zeth and herself.  
  
Adrian just looked perplexed and simply shrugged.  
  
"Well, all I know is that my mother - I mean, grandfather told me a story about his comrades in arms, Zaria and Zeth, who fought on his side during the Mage war, and one day Zeth fell down a cliff, yet Zaria never lost hope that he was somehow alive," he said. "Later on, Zeth's brother Link tried to court Zaria, but he never achieved success, so he married another continent's princess named Lara, and they had children. Since Link had fancied Zaria before, it would make sense for him to name one of his children Zaria," he explained to Zaria, and then turned to Zeth. "I've seen portraits of Zeth and Link, and you look exactly like them," he said pointedly.  
  
"Well, I am Zaria Locke, and this is Zeth Lanier," interjected Zaria with a clipped tone. "I'll explain everything later, because the truth will eventually be known to all. I really don't feel like talking about it now."  
  
Zeth stared at Zaria. There was a truth? He didn't know that there was a truth. He had Zaria had a past? Why hadn't she told him?  
  
* * *  
  
"Let's go already!" complained Cat, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"For once, she's right," exclaimed Zack, looking even more exasperated than usual.  
  
Adrian nodded. "All right, let's go. I'll show you the way. Follow me."  
  
He morphed into his winged form and began flying slowly and everyone followed him.  
  
"Hey Adrian, are you a crossbreed?" asked Cat curiously, peering at his wings and then shifting her gaze to study his gentle yet chiseled features.  
  
"Yeah," he said. "I'm half human, one fourth vampire, and one fourth harpy."  
  
Cat looked at him in perplexity. "Harpy? What's a harpy?"  
  
"An bird-human crossbreed," Adrian replied. Breanna wrinkled her nose in distaste. He looked good enough in normal human form, but in her opinion, that kind of cross between species was awfully abnormal.  
  
"That's awesome!" Cat exclaimed, getting stimulated. "Are there any more like you?"  
  
"A whole lot," he replied. "In fact, the ancestors of my village can be traced back to the Mage war," he continued.  
  
Zaria's head snapped back in his direction, and she gave him a probing look, but didn't say anything.  
  
"So, why do you people have to go to Najida? Do you have some business there? Because I work there . . ." Adrian trailed off.  
  
"You do?" Cat asked with interest. "How come I never saw you there?"  
  
"You work for Arrow too?" Adrian asked, looking astonished.  
  
"Of course." Cat rolled her eyes. "I'm one of the first they consider for any important spying missions."  
  
Adrian nodded, the doubt written all over his face.  
  
"Then how come you don't remember where Najida is?" he asked slyly, in a teasing tone.  
  
"DON'T TEASE ME, YOU FREAK!" screamed Cat, and she ran over to Adrian and started pounding on him.  
  
Zeth exchanged a look with Zack, raising his brow. That girl seemed to have a lot of energy, even after a near-death ordeal.  
  
* * *  
  
Half an hour later, they reached the entrance to the city of Najida.  
  
"Yeah, we're here!" exclaimed Cat, jumping up and down, excited as usual.  
  
Zeth looked around. "It looks so deserted and abandoned here," he observed. "Are you sure we're in the right place, Adrian? Cat?"  
  
Cat shook her head, giggling. "Don't worry, we are. Follow me."  
  
She started walking towards the direction of a halfway decent looking building and everyone followed her quietly, no one uttering a word. They entered the building and went up the stairs. As soon as they reached the second floor, the whole atmosphere of the building changed. It was clean and nice, and there were people busy at work at desks, going through paperwork, dissecting bombs.  
  
Cat walked up and talked to someone who was sewing a badge on a white lab coat that that said "Toki" on it.  
  
"What's Toki?" Breanna asked Zeth, moving slightly towards him.  
  
"It's the government's name," he replied promptly.  
  
She nodded, keeping her eyes glued to his profile. "No wonder it sounded so familiar."  
  
Cat turned back to them and said, "Follow me," again. She led them over to a small room, and when they entered, and young man with rumpled, long black hair turned around.  
  
"Cat!" he exclaimed, smiling warmly at Cat. "You're back! Good job on the Kankino case! The government had to completely shut down operations in that area. Although you could have been more lenient with that bomb," he berated.  
  
"Vincent!" Cat yelled. "Looky here! I got the famed Zaria Locke with me! The person the Toki are after, remember?"  
  
The young man craned his neck and looked around Cat and saw Zaria.  
  
"Zaria Locke?" he asked her, his eyes wide in amazement. Zaria nodded demurely. Vincent held out his hand.  
  
"Hi, the name's Vincent. Well Zaria, I'm sure that by now you are aware that the government is after you, but if you affiliate with us, we can help you. We are the largest resistance faction in the continent, called Arrow," he said contiguously. "We can offer you all a unequivocal amount of protection from the Toki government if you join us."  
  
Zack perked up with interest. "I've heard a lot about you people."  
  
Vincent nodded, and smiled at the group.  
  
"I take it that all of you here are adept fighters to end up here with Cat. We could use some experienced fighters . . . would you be willing to join us? We're interested in you folks and want to work with you all, especially Zaria," Vincent continued. "We believe her divinations about the Toki black hole project are quite accurate."  
  
Zeth looked at Zaria, and then stepped up and said, "Yes. We will join Arrow, if you can help us keep Zaria safe."  
  
Breanna and Zack nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Cat and Adrian were watching with little grins on their faces.  
  
"Whoopee!" Cat cheered. "Zaria, you guys are part of Arrow now!"  
  
Vincent smiled affirmatively and continued talking, which obviously seemed like something that he enjoyed doing. "Zaria, I think you should go to the city of Mage, because I know you have spiritual powers, and there, the spirits of the planet are all around. I think that you can probably communicate with some of the spirits there, and they can tell you about what the Earth is feeling and what we need to do to prevent the government from carrying out their black hole opening project."  
  
Zaria nodded cautiously, her eyebrows furrowed.  
  
"I'll go with her," Zeth swiftly volunteered. Breanna threw a covetous look in Zaria's direction, but Zaria kept her eyes cast down.  
  
"The rest of you, come with me," Vincent instructed. Everyone nodded and followed Vincent out of the room.  
  
Zack paused for a moment, winked at Zeth and then followed the others out.  
  
Zeth turned around to look at Zaria. "I guess we should go now, Zaria," he said quietly.  
  
Zaria looked up. "Yes, I guess we should," she replied, not really thinking about that.  
  
* * *  
  
"We've been on the road for two days afoot, and we're still not there yet, Zeth," Zaria complained. "Can't we find some sort of transportation?"  
  
Zeth squinted and looked into the distance, ignoring her remark.  
  
"I see a city moderately imminent to our current location. It's getting dark now, we should stop there for the night," he stated.  
  
Zaria looked at him austerely, but trudged on after him, lugging her two swords and the rest of her belongings in her small tote.  
  
They walked for another fifteen minutes, and they were both very quiet. Finally Zaria spoke up, breaking the silence.  
  
"Zeth, how come lately it seems like you detest me so much?" she said, her eyes looking faraway and melancholy.  
  
Zeth looked up into the sky, and saw a shooting star. He stopped to watch it travel across the blue-black diamond sky. Then he turned around to look at Zaria. She looked so beautiful in the silver luminescence of the moonlight, strands of dark cinnamon brown hair, almost as black as the night, whipping across her face, her glimmering emerald eyes boring holes into his aquamarine eyes. She had an overcast expression on her face, clouding her features.  
  
He didn't detest her. What a ridiculous question to ask. How could she not know how he felt about her? He hadn't actually known her that long, but the longer he was around her, the longer he was getting these flashbacks, which he thought was safe to presume was his memory returning. She was in every single one, although the images in his head were never comprehensible. He felt sure that before he had lost his memory, he had known her, but how was that possible? Mentally, she was almost sixty years older than he was. There was no way he could've known her. But he just couldn't shake off the feeling . . . there was so much he wanted to ask her, so much he wanted to explain, but he couldn't bring himself to say any of it. All he simply said was, "I don't detest you, Zaria. I couldn't, even if I tried."  
  
Zaria quickly cast her eyes down.  
  
"But you don't have affection for me like you used to," she murmured to herself, so that Zeth didn't hear her.  
  
She turned away. How she wished that she could turn back the hands of time to sixty years ago. How she wished that on that day she hadn't let him run ahead of her. How she wished that he hadn't fallen. If none of this had happened, they would be living blissful old age in Mydele right now. But fate had not favored her, and had taken him away from her for sixty years.  
  
Sixty years, she had been left waiting, wondering what had happened to her friend Galen and her beloved, Zeth. Zeth's twin Link had tried to offer her solace and had aspired to replace Zeth, but no one could ever substitute Zeth in her heart. Zeth finally had been restored to her, but he didn't remember her. He didn't remember anything. She figured that was better for both of them, but she couldn't help wishing that he would remember, and they could retire to a life of peace and happiness in Mydele.  
  
Yet she also knew that the world was at stake, and her happiness was nothing compared to the lives and happiness of all the people on the planet. Zeth. He meant the world to her, and she would gladly sacrifice her life for him if she had to. She loved him, even now. She would always love him. But it was wrong. She must keep her feelings hidden. She turned back to Zeth.  
  
"I . . . I . . . care about you in a way you'll never know," she whispered sorrowfully, so quietly that he couldn't hear, and ran ahead of him, tears streaming down her cheeks. How could she face him? Yet she had to.  
  
* * *  
  
Ten minutes later, Zaria had calmed down, and they had reached the town of Werin. They slowly trekked through the streets.  
  
"I heard that this is not a very good town for proper women to be wandering around in at night," Zaria whispered to Zeth.  
  
Zeth looked at his surroundings. The bright neon signs, the dimly lit bars, all the inebriated men wandering around . . . there was also a lot of women wearing scanty clothing as well . . . women who had chosen their debauched way of living. It was not a pleasant spectacle. Unconsciously, he developed a grimace on his face. Zaria inched a little closer to him.  
  
"Hey, pretty boy," a voiced slurred, obviously addressing him, for he had been called that many times in his childhood because of his distinctly perfectly proportioned features that made him stand out from the other boys. Zeth turned around to the direction of the voice and saw a very intoxicated man who was practically falling over. The man gripped his shoulder for support, and Zeth tried his best to keep himself from pulling away in disgust, in fear of what the man might try to do to Zaria if he was angered or annoyed.  
  
"Yes?" he replied in a nasal tone, trying not to breathe in the stench of liquor.  
  
The man put his other clammy hand on Zaria's shoulder and she shrunk back with fear. She gripped one of her swords but Zeth pulled her aside and whispered the importance of not making a scene with any weapons involved. She reluctantly released her sword. They began to walk away but the man persevered in following them.  
  
"How much this one cost for the night?" the man slurred, hissing in Zeth's ear.  
  
"What?" Zeth asked in stupefaction, his eyes widening.  
  
"This one here!" the man pointed at Zaria and reached for her.  
  
Zeth immediately caught the man's arm in an iron grip and held it away from Zaria, now too rampageous to feel any of the consternation and abhorrence he had experienced just seconds earlier. "Don't you dare touch her," he warned, fury blazing in his eyes. He threw the man's arm aside.  
  
The man shrugged and precariously staggered away.  
  
"Stay very near me," Zeth informed Zaria with clenched teeth.  
  
They made their way to the inn, and while Zeth walked over to check in Zaria decided to go wait in the lobby.  
  
"Two rooms, please," he informed the manager.  
  
The manager looked at his computer and shook his head. "Only one room with a double bed left, sir. All other rooms are occupied."  
  
Zeth considered for a while, and then decided to just use that room. He would sleep on the floor. He got the keys to the room and walked over to the lobby to go get Zaria. The lobby had random people lounging about, but Zaria was not there. She's probably in the ladies room, he thought, flopping down on the sofa.  
  
He sat and waited, but after half an hour had passed, Zaria still hadn't appeared. Zeth was getting very anxious. Where could she be? He cautiously walked out of the inn and went out into the street. He looked around. No Zaria. He unwillingly stopped a drunkard and asked if he had seen a girl with dark hair and green eyes that happened to be wearing armor.  
  
"I've seen her," the drunk slurred, and then he pointed in the direction of one of the bars. Zeth ran into the bar and scanned the place for Zaria. She wasn't there. He went up to a bartender and asked if Zaria had been in there. The bartender's eyes widened.  
  
"You mean that girl is Zaria Locke? She's in trouble for sure. She was dragged in here and was spotted by the severely intoxicated son of the President Toki, who demanded that she be handed over to him. He's just a young man, about your age, but he took the girl and left the bar. Although she did put up quite a fight, her swords were no match for his infamous gunblade. I reckon that she's with him in his mansion now. Are you her young man?" the bartender asked, nodding at Zeth.  
  
Zeth flushed. "Sort of," he said, tilting his head. "I'm supposed to take care of her."  
  
The bartender shook his head, looking at Zeth skeptically. "You didn't do such a good job, sorry to say. Every woman who's not purposely looking for trouble, if you know what I mean, needs protection in this town. I suggest you get moving before Richard Toki does anything to her. Especially since his father's the President Toki, he gets everything he wants."  
  
Zeth hurriedly thanked the bartender and dashed out of the bar, running towards the mansion that the bartender had directed him to. It was a very large mansion, and there were guards surrounding it. The only way in without with out alerting any of the guards was through the small pond and through the side door of the mansion. He leaped over the pond, barely making the three-meter jump. He ran to the door and twisted the knob and charged in. There was no one in the mansion. He didn't know where to go. Zeth stood there, listening for any sign of human life, and then he heard a scream from upstairs. Zaria! He dashed up the stairs and threw open the first door he saw. No one was in there. He ran to the right and checked all the rooms and ran back to the left side, where there was only one door left to check. He was about to go in, when he heard Zaria's scream again. It was coming from the ceiling. He ran up the stairs to the top floor, and saw that there was only one door. He sneaked up to the door and forced it open.  
  
Zaria was in there, tied onto the bed. Her swords lay at her feet. She saw Zeth and cried out.  
  
"Zaria, are you all right?" Zeth cried. "Did he do anything to you?"  
  
Zaria had a terrified trapped-rabbit look in her eyes. She shook her head timorously.  
  
"Not yet, but he will soon!"  
  
Zeth took out his sword and hacked at the rope that was tying Zaria down. He picked her up and slung her on his back and carried her away from the bed.  
  
"Thank you, Zeth," she whispered from behind his ear, and buried her head into his shoulder.  
  
Zeth didn't know what to do or say, but he just stood there with Zaria on his back. Then he heard a shuffling noise behind him and turned around, and then the last thing he saw was a large metal object flying in an arc coming down towards his head.  
  
* * *  
  
"What are you holding, Adrian?" Cat asked as she lifted his arm to see the bow and arrow he was holding. It had a small fiery red orb embedded in it.  
  
"It's my weapon," he said defensively, pulling it back. "One of the magicians of my home village made it for me so I could use and combine it with my fire magic."  
  
Zack looked at him with interest reminiscent to Zaria's.  
  
"You can use fire magic?" he asked. Adrian had a lopsided grin on his face.  
  
"Yeah, pretty cool, huh."  
  
Zack nodded. "I think you might be one of the eight warriors."  
  
Adrian shrugged, his reaction similar to Cat's. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Quiet down, everybody," said Vincent. "There's someone I want to introduce you to. She will take you on your first mission."  
  
He walked over and opened the door to the next room, stuck his head in, and yelled, "Fuuko!"  
  
He then back away from the door and a girl emerged from the room. She had the most radiant sapphire eyes that Zack had ever seen, and her long hair was sable-colored. She was tall, but not quite as tall as Breanna. Fuuko was wearing clothing suited for fighting, with knee supports that she moved around in with ease.  
  
"Hey Fuuko," Cat greeted cheerfully.  
  
"Hey, Cat and Adrian," Fuuko said with a smile on her face. She turned to Zack and Breanna.  
  
"How do you do. I'm Fuuko Takano."  
  
Zack smiled at her. "I'm Zack Strife, and this is Breanna Cole."  
  
Fuuko shook his hand and then turned to Vincent, leaving Zack in a state of bliss.  
  
"Vince, where are we going this time?" she asked.  
  
Vincent looked at Fuuko soberly. "Fuuko, in your hometown, the Toki officials have taken over. You have to go to Nakano and destroy the city hall so no more negotiations can take place in that area."  
  
Fuuko's eyes narrowed. "But the townspeople need the city hall," she said with a hint of besetment in her voice.  
  
Vincent nodded sadly. "I know that, Fuuko. But Nakano is where a lot of the planning for the Black Hole project is going on. We really have to get rid of it. Once the town is free of any Toki scum, the townspeople can start anew. I'm really sorry, but it is obligatory."  
  
Fuuko turned her back to the group so that no one could see her facial expression, the tears that stung in her eyes.  
  
"All right, let's go already then," she said in a muffled voice. Zack was sure that he could detect a note of sadness in it.  
  
She strode out of the room and they followed her.  
  
"What transportation are we using?" Cat asked.  
  
"I'm not carrying anyone," Adrian declared.  
  
Fuuko sighed exasperatedly. "We can ride on my wind vortexes," she reminded Cat, and hopped down the stairs, leaving Zack staring at her, eyebrows raised. Wind vortexes? Zaria would be very interested.  
  
* * *  
  
"Zeth!" Zaria cried. He slumped to the floor, his blood trickling off his dank honey tresses onto his forehead. She looked up and saw Richard Toki standing above her, a victorious grin on his chiseled face.  
  
"Found you at last, Zaria Locke," he sneered. Richard brushed his blond bangs out of his face and grabbed Zaria by the arm and threw her down on the bed, and then pointed his gunblade at her. What he didn't notice was that Zaria had her swords gripped in both hands. Terrified, she looked up at him.  
  
"Stay away from me, you creep," she said, her voice trembling in fear.  
  
Richard pointed the gunblade at Zaria's cheek.  
  
"Wouldn't want to scar a sweet face like that, but if you don't cooperate, Miss Locke, I'm afraid I'll have to. I've been looking for you for awhile, and I don't intend to let you get away."  
  
Zaria sprung up and held her twin swords in a cross configuration in front of her face to block the gunblade.  
  
"Stay away from me, Richard Toki," she said, narrowing her eyes into slits.  
  
"Want to fight before we get down to business? All right, if you wish to, Miss Locke," he smirked, putting his gunblade in battle position.  
  
"You're despicable! Do you always have to hold people against their will to get what you want?" Zaria shouted as she lifted her swords up to fight.  
  
Richard laughed cruelly, his eyes flashing with scorn. "You really think I can't get any woman I want? I'm the handsomest and wealthiest twenty-year old bachelor on the planet! You're a lot stupider than they say you are, Zaria Locke. Don't act so important when you know I'm the main act here."  
  
"Main act?" Zaria exclaimed incredulously. "Richard Toki, you're nothing but a degrading miscreant who doesn't know what's truly valuable, and you never will!" she cried. "You have no conscience!"  
  
"Don't think that just because you are from the Locke clan that you can defeat me, one of the genuine Toki descendants," Richard said calmly. "If you by some chance happen to, then where will you go? This mansion is surrounded. You're trapped, face it."  
  
"Don't try to postpone the inevitable, you procrastinator!" Zaria said fiercely, clanging one of her swords on his.  
  
They started dueling with their swords and neither of them faltered, both being equally skilled in sword fighting. Zaria finally managed to make a small cut on his arm, but then he retaliated by hitting her head with the hilt of his gunblade. She almost fainted and crumpled down to the ground, and then Richard picked her up by the collar. Zaria tried to counterattack, but her body felt too weak and faint to do anything of the sort. Her vision was blurring and the world seemed to be turning white.  
  
"Got you now," he muttered, and aggressively threw her down on the bed.  
  
She moaned in pain, her eyelids fluttering shut. I can't die, she thought. Not when Zeth didn't know the truth yet. At the thought of Zeth, she could feel her strength returning. Using her last ounce of strength, she silently used her own healing magic on her body, revitalizing herself. Yet she kept her eyes shut, so Richard could be taken by surprise so she could effectively counterassault.  
  
All of a sudden, her eyes flew open and Zaria leaped off the bed, turning around and kicking Richard in the stomach. He yelped in pain and fell on the ground, moaning. She stood over him looking down at him with a gaze full of hatred, and then finally she snatched his gunblade out of his hands, swung it onto his head and knocked him out.  
  
When she was sure that Richard was knocked out cold, she knelt down over Zeth.  
  
"Oh, Zeth," she whispered, and put her hands on his head, concentrating. She shut her eyes and let the curative magic wash over her hands onto Zeth's wound but it wasn't enough, so she bent down and buried her face in the mass of his soft dark strands of honey-colored hair. She put her lips to the wound and let the higher level healing magic flow from her mouth onto his wound. He was completely healed now.  
  
She sat up and took his hand and put it on her cheek. It felt so good to have his hand there, the same way it was sixty years ago . . . she closed her eyes.  
  
Zeth woke up to find Zaria holding his hand to her cheek. He slowly sat up and then she opened her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, Zeth, I-I.!" she stammered in dismay, dropping his hand. She appeared to be appalled.  
  
Zeth looked at her and smiled softly.  
  
"I never said anything, Zaria."  
  
He got up and saw that Richard lay quiescent on the ground. He felt chagrined. This time Zaria had ended up protecting him. The roles were supposed to be reversed.  
  
He reached up to touch his wound from the gunblade. It wasn't there. He looked at Zaria. "Did . . . you?" he asked. She nodded timidly and turned away.  
  
"Um, Zeth, how are we going to get out of this mansion without attracting any guards?" she asked in a muffled voice.  
  
Zeth looked around the room and saw a window. He walked over and peered down, and saw a lake right by.  
  
He pointed to the window. "We jump." He opened the window and stepped over and scooped Zaria up. He then stepped up on the windowpane, braced himself and leaped off. They fell through the air and landed with a large splash in the lake.  
  
* * *  
  
Cat sighed. She was very airsick, so she could do nothing but sit there and concentrate on keeping her lunch in while the others discussed their plan. Fuuko was piloting the plane, staring straight ahead with a hard look in her eyes.  
  
It must be so hard for her to do this, Cat thought. She sympathized with Fuuko. She had known Fuuko for a long time, but she had only known Zack, Breanna and Adrian for a short time. Zack seemed loud and annoying enough, but for the past few hours he had shut up considerably. Breanna was amusing to talk to, but she was sort of aggressive. Adrian was . . . she didn't really know. He seemed very nice, and she loved how he could morph from one form to another. She wished she could do that.  
  
Sigh. How she wished she knew her origin. Adrian was probably one of the eight warriors Zaria was mentioning, and so was Fuuko. That's why Vincent had put them together with Zack and Breanna. Fuuko's ancestors in Nakano had played an important role in the Mage war, and most of them were warriors. But why had Cat been put with these special people? There was no guarantee that she was a warrior, because she didn't even know who her ancestors were. She was a rejected child. Anyway, who in the world had purple hair? She was not a normal human being. She was a freak, which was why her family didn't want her. Who would want a freak for a child? Cat felt so alone. No one really understood her, and no one ever would.  
  
Breanna glanced over at Cat. What was that girl thinking, anyway? She looked so lost. Breanna looked at Zack with annoyance in her gaze. He seemed smart and all that before, (almost as good as Zeth) but as soon as he saw that girl Fuuko he had turned into a simpering idiot. Oh well. She glanced at Adrian. He looked pretty good when he was normal, but in his morphed mode he was way too weird and pale for her liking. For anyone's liking. Sigh. It seemed like she would never find someone. Zeth was the best option so far, but all he seemed to think about was Zaria, Zaria, and Zaria. Zaria was nice enough, but she was mentally OLD, and she was taking up all of Zeth's precious attention. What did Zeth want with the old harridan anyway? She turned to Fuuko. The girl looked so angry and disturbed. Breanna felt bad for her, but there really was nothing she could say to make Fuuko feel better. She wondered if Adrian or Fuuko were one of the eight warriors or not. They could be. Oh well.  
  
"Wonder how Zeth and Zaria are doing now," Zack said.  
  
"I think that between the two of them, there's much more going on than meets the eye," remarked Adrian, leaning back in his seat and settling his hands behind his head.  
  
Breanna glared at him. Why did he have to remind her?  
  
* * *  
  
Fuuko landed the plane and they all got out. They were at the entrance of Nakano. Fuuko turned around to address all of them.  
  
"We have to pretend to be regular travelers just passing through Nakano," she commanded, "and under no circumstances will you take out your weapons or use any magic unless absolutely necessary."  
  
They all nodded, and entered Nakano. It was a pretty town, and the houses looked very luxurious. Fuuko headed straight towards the local bar, while everyone else went to the hotel to check in. Zack saw Fuuko going alone, and decided to accompany her. He ran to catch up.  
  
"Um, hi, Fuuko," he began.  
  
"Why are you following me?" she asked bluntly. Her voice sounded hostile.  
  
Zack didn't even blink. "Because I can tell that you're not happy, and you need someone to talk to," he replied.  
  
She spun around to face him.  
  
"What would you know, spiky head? You're not the one who has to destroy a place that holds so many childhood memories for you . . . you're not the one who has to betray your own family!" she cried, and started running off.  
  
Zack ran up to her and caught her arm. "Whoa, Fuuko, how are you betraying your family? Isn't this for the good of the village? The Toki . . ."  
  
Fuuko glared at him. "So losing the city hall and having innocent people being killed is good for this town? That's what you think? Anyway, you know nothing about me and all the crap I've been through, so just stay out of it!" she cried, turning her head away, trying to avoid his gaze.  
  
Zack shook his head. "I don't think I can do that, Fuuko," he said. "I want to help you. Contrary to popular belief, some men do care."  
  
She looked at him, her eyes watering. She stood there looking at him for a long time, like she was searching his soul, trying to figure out how sincere he was. It seemed like he passed the test, and a tear spilled out of her right eye and slowly dripped down her cheek. She quickly reached up and wiped it away.  
  
"My family has been the leaders of this village for many years, so they have major influence on the welfare of all the people. A few months ago I had a fight with my father. I ran away from home and joined Arrow. My father was a supporter of the Toki, and to this day my family is still a staunch supporter of the Toki government, and all my life I have been the only one in my family to realize the fatal flaws in this government, yet I still love them all. I don't want them to be hurt."  
  
Zack gazed at her. "I understand."  
  
Memories of his life flashed through his head. His mother. Although many times during his childhood he had hated her and secretly had wished for her to die, when she was actually shot by a Toki military official for no particular reason, he had realized how much he loved his mother. He had almost killed the officer, even at that young age.  
  
He took Fuuko's hand. "Fuuko, we can find a way to destroy the city hall without blowing it up and causing damage to entire town. We can use magic. I can use my Apocalypse, Cat can use her Thunder, Adrian can use his fire, and Breanna can use her Earth magic."  
  
Fuuko looked up at him through her tears. "And I can use my Claw of Wind. But things are not all solved. I still feel so alone."  
  
Zack gazed at her tenderly. "You have Arrow, and you have us," he said. "Let's go back to the others now."  
  
Fuuko looked at him with a balmy expression for a long time, and then she broke into a grin. "Don't you want a drink, Zack?"  
  
Zack grinned. "You know me so well in such a short time."  
  
* * *  
  
"Do you know what time it is?" Zaria demanded. "We should have just come back to the hotel right away instead of letting our clothes dry first!"  
  
Zeth sighed. "But Zaria, coming in sopping wet would have been very suspicious. And don't forget, tomorrow morning we leave at the crack of dawn. Richard Toki will probably wake up around then, and if we're still here, we're in trouble!"  
  
Zaria nodded. She took the key to the room and opened the door. She stepped in ready to flop down on her bed, but then stopped short.  
  
"Zeth, why does this room only have one bed? One small bed?"  
  
Zeth's face reddened. "They only had this room left."  
  
Zaria lifted her brow. "Well then, we can both sleep on the bed then. We're both very tired. Just do it and don't make a big deal of it, Zeth."  
  
"But, Zaria," Zeth protested.  
  
Zaria lifted her hands up. "I don't want to hear it," she said, cutting him off with a tone that left no room for argument. She climbed into the bed and scooted over to the edge, barely keeping herself from falling off. "Just sleep," she ordered.  
  
  
  
Okay, so that was it for the second chapter! Hope you liked it better than the first, trust me, as the character development starts setting in and you get into the story, you will like it more so please keep on reading! Oh, and I'm not updating all my finished chapters so far until I get some reviews so please review! As of now I've finished about half my story but posted only about a fourth. 


	3. Chapter 03 Remember Me This Way

And now for the third chapter! The more characters arrive, the story progresses, you get to see some of the ancient flashbacks (not too ancient, there's more, trust me, this story is VERY complicated)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Remember Me This Way  
  
A few hours before the crack of dawn, Zaria awoke. It was still very dark outside. She just couldn't sleep, there was too much in her head. She turned around to look at Zeth and saw his tranquil, sleeping face. He looked like an angel. An angel with burnt honey tresses framing his angelic face. Seeing him like this reminded her of the days of the Mage war, where they had to sleep together along with many others in many forest camps. But now none of those memories would mean anything to him, because he didn't have them anymore. She choked back a sob. She would never let anyone know her suffering. She wanted so much for him to remember her, remember everything about them and their life before he had been so cruelly taken from her, but he didn't. She knew that if she accepted his love now, it wouldn't be as absolute as it was before, and if it wasn't then it wasn't worth having and it would be better for him to find someone else. For it was true that if one truly loved, one could exist without the loved one. After all, she had lived for sixty long years without her loved one. She didn't want a love that was based on unsure recollections.  
  
Zaria sat on the bed and shut her eyes, cutting off the flow of tears. If only that fateful day hadn't come to pass . . . remembering it pained her so much.  
  
"Zaria, wake up." Zaria slowly opened her eyes and saw Zeth's face hovering inches above hers. She smiled at him and gently pushed him away.  
  
"Is everyone awake yet?" she asked.  
  
Zeth shook his head. "No," he replied. "It's just us. I wanted to wake you up so. we could go watch the sunrise together. It's really nice out here in the Goblin Forest," he admitted bashfully.  
  
Zaria yawned and dragged herself up off the mattress.  
  
"It's so cold, and I'm still really exhausted from yesterday. Just let me sleep for ten more minutes," she complained, lying back down.  
  
"Stop griping about everything, Zaria," Zeth chided as he scooped her up in his arms and hauled her out of the tent.  
  
"Let me down, Zeth," she commanded drowsily, and jumped off his arms and smacked him playfully. He put up his armored wrist to block her blows. After many more endeavors, she gave up and stuck out her tongue.  
  
They then walked over to the nearby river and stood by the riverbank facing the east. Up in the sky the birds were flying high. They were gliding through the shadows of the clouds. Zaria looked up. She was laying her memories and dreams upon those wings. She prayed that they would not be shattered.  
  
"Zeth, I want you to promise me something," Zaria said softly, her eyes gazing towards the river.  
  
"Anything you want, my lady," he teased.  
  
"I want you to promise me that we'll be there for each other forever, no matter what happens," she said, ignoring his attempt at humor.  
  
He lost the goofy grin on his face and looked down at her solemnly.  
  
"I promise," he said. "And I vow to you, Zaria, that as soon as this war is completely over and the world is at absolute peace, I will make you my bride."  
  
He leaned down and looked into her sparkling emerald green eyes, a color so rare that even the finest of gems couldn't match its beauty.  
  
"I want to protect you forever, Zaria, no matter what happens."  
  
Zaria nodded and smiled gently.  
  
"Me too, Zeth. I'll always be there for you, waiting. I'd wait for you forever.no matter how long we get separated."  
  
"If we ever get separated, then I promise that I will come find you.you just have to wait for me."  
  
"I'll be there. If you go there, you'll find me, waiting in that special place, the meadow in my dreams."  
  
Then they faced the sunrise, watching the dazzling colors in the horizon. The water in the river was clear and aqua blue, almost the same shade as Zeth's eyes, which were reminiscent to the ocean. The chirping of birds was the most harmonious sound that Zaria had ever heard, for it sounded like the birds were singing ballads of love. Everything was all so beautiful and pure. It was as beautiful and pure as their love. What they didn't know was that all their dreams were going to be shattered on that beautiful day.  
  
Zaria opened her eyes. All those promises and all those dreams. She had kept her vow never to marry anyone but Zeth, but he hadn't even been able to remember his vows, the vows that he would always protect her. They were so close then . . . and to think that when they first met, they practically despised each other.  
  
"Zaria, please come over here," Jesse called. Zaria got up from her relaxed position and approached Jesse with an aggravated look on her face. She had been resting after an onerous mission that Jesse herself had assigned, so Jesse should have cut her some more slack.  
  
"What now, Jesse?" she whined. Jesse smiled to herself at Zaria's impatience.  
  
"There's some people I'd like you to meet, some people whom you will work with," explained Jesse.  
  
Zaria looked behind Jesse, and saw three young men. Two of them were twins, for they had the same identical aqua blue eyes and dank burnt honey tresses, and they both wore the same clothes but in different colors. One of them looked standoffish and snobby, and he was a little bit taller than his twin brother. He seemed quite withdrawn. The other one looked warm and friendly, and he was gazing at Zaria with distinct interest. The third man had flaming red hair and wore tribal jewelry of the tribe of legendary flame casters.  
  
"This is Zaria Locke, one of our best warriors. Zaria, these people here are three very experienced mercenaries that I hired," Jesse said. "They're all five years older than you."  
  
"Hello, I'm Galen Tasuki," said the one with red hair, giving a little wave. He smiled at Zaria. He looked very friendly, and had a warm glow in his green eyes.  
  
The kind-looking twin held his hand out to Zaria, and Zaria reached and shook it.  
  
"Hello, Miss Locke. I'm Link Lanier, and this is my twin brother, Zeth," he said with a smile on his face.  
  
Zeth, who had been looking away all this time, glanced over at Zaria, and surveyed her. Zaria didn't like the way that Zeth was looking at her, like he was scanning her appearance for any flaws, but she bared her teeth and grinned at both of them anyway.  
  
In the following days and months that the four spent together, Zaria took an instant liking to Link, and she had a susceptibility that Link felt the same way about her. She spent a lot of her free time talking to Link, and she got to know him much better. Link talked about Zeth a lot.  
  
"Zeth seems reserved, but he really is a nice guy," Link would say. Zaria doubted that very much. Link was special to her, and Galen was like the older brother she never had. Surprisingly, Galen didn't like Link that much.  
  
"I prefer Zeth's company much more," said Galen one day. "Zeth is so ingenuous and forthright. If he says something or does something, you know he means it because he's such a sincere, staid person, yet he has his fun side as well. Link, on the other hand . . . he's nice enough, but he's two faced. That's what I think at least, Zaria. I think you should be wary of him, he might break your heart someday."  
  
Zaria felt troubled, for she did indeed pay attention to Galen's opinions, but she really did like Link. After a while though, Link seemed to look less and less like a faultless prince in her eyes, because he always found petty excuses to get out of doing things he didn't really want to do. Every time that he did that, Galen would give Zaria one of his looks, and those looks affected Zaria's heart and her innermost feelings.  
  
One day, Link had particularly let Zaria down, and she was sulking in the file room by herself. Then Zeth walked in. He took one glance at Zaria and just sat down and just started sorting out files of leaders that had died during the war.  
  
His indifference to her feelings incensed Zaria. She sat there glaring at him, yet he still ignored her.  
  
"What is it with you, Zeth!" she screamed, driven mad out of her mind at his indifference. "Do you have no feelings? For once in your life, why don't you care about other people and how they feel, how it hurts them inside their heart when you don't give a damn about them! I'm not asking you to be like Link, I'm just asking you to please, just please, for once in your life, give a damn!"  
  
Zeth lifted his gaze up to her and sat there just looking at her for a long while. He didn't blink or falter and neither did she. His gazed seemed to burn holes into her, and she felt like her soul was being bared to him, all her secrets and insecurities were being revealed. Then the trance was broken.  
  
"You think I don't care about anything?" Zeth asked her in a voice with a frosty edge.  
  
Zaria just stared at him.  
  
"You want me to care about you?" he continued, his tone sounding mild.  
  
Zaria's eyes widened. She hadn't expected such an answer from someone as seemingly hardhearted as Zeth. She looked down at her feet, bracing herself.  
  
"Yes," she whispered brokenly. "Zeth, ever since you came here, I felt like nothing I ever did could meet your standards. I didn't like you at all, yet I still wanted to be the one who brought a smile to your face. I wanted to be the one that you cared for . . . it shames me to say it, but I wanted to win you over . . . have you pay attention to me."  
  
Zeth's gaze at her slowly melted. The frosty look he had been giving her before metamorphosed into a look with kindness and warmth in it. Not the kinds of warmth and love that they had shared later, but a look that showed that Zeth did indeed have feelings.  
  
Zaria smiled to herself. That had been the beginning of a marvelous friendship between her and Zeth. They had gotten to know each other very well, and eventually their relationship had turned into what it was . . . during the last few months before he had supposedly died. That day . . . every detail was still so vivid in her mind. Every single thing about that day had been replayed in her head for all those years she had spent in the solitary confinement of her mind.  
  
Zaria and Zeth had spent an hour just watching the sunrise, and by the time they had returned to the camp, all the others were awake and eating breakfast.  
  
"Come eat, you two," Galen chirped cheerfully. "You'll need the strength today! We're pretty close to finding the Magic Bandicoot. We're gonna crush it and finally end this war!"  
  
The Magic Bandicoot was an enigmatic creature, but they believed that if they destroyed it then they would prevent much trouble, for it went around destroying towns and slaughtering the townspeople.  
  
Zeth and Zaria sat down to eat, and although the breakfast laid out for them only consisted of gruel, they enjoyed their meal because of the blithe laughter that was going on.  
  
Once they finished, Zeth took Zaria back to their tent, where they could be alone. Each and every day on this mission could be their last day alive, so they had to cherish every moment they had together.  
  
All of a sudden, Zaria seemed to lose her breath, and she lost her footing and stumbled. Zeth helped her up and supported her.  
  
"Zeth, I got this strange vibe about today," gasped Zaria, her skin wan. She had always had premonitions about upcoming events. It seemed to be a gift that had been bestowed upon her family many years ago, for every member of the Locke clan had that same ability.  
  
"You do? What do you see, Zaria?" asked Zeth in a concerned voice. Zaria's premonitions were not to be taken lightly, for they had always proved themselves accurate.  
  
Zaria stood up straight and took deep breaths. What she felt frightened her. Something evil was going to dominate, something evil was going to destroy her loved ones.  
  
"Never mind, Zeth," she said, still frightened. She didn't want to talk about it. Maybe if she didn't then nothing would happen. Maybe this time it was just her own paranoia.  
  
She sat down on a log, and beckoned for Zeth to sit down next to her.  
  
"Zeth," she said softly. "I have something I want to tell you."  
  
Her tone was serious, so Zeth sat down and looked at her expectantly.  
  
"Zeth," she began, "we've known each other for about a year, and we've cared deeply about each other for only about half a year. Yet in that time, I have developed feelings towards you that I never thought I could experience. You have invoked a side of me that I never knew existed. I don't know if I have done the same for you. If I ever lost you, I wouldn't want to live. I wouldn't want to go on each day without having you there for me. I just . . . thought that if one day, we had to part, or if something happened to either of us, we need to respect each other's wishes for the other. Promise me something again. I want you to promise me that if I die, you will live, and you won't let go of life. No matter what happens, we will always be together."  
  
Zeth looked away, and a tear slid down his cheek. Zaria saw it and wiped it away tenderly. He slowly turned back towards her and clasped her tightly, as if it were the last time he would hold her.  
  
"Zaria, I will never let you die," he vowed. "I will protect you always, I will be your bodyguard. But if I die, you must promise to live, for we will indeed always be together. If that happens, my spirit will come and watch over you. I'll be guarding you from afar, I promise."  
  
He released Zaria from his embrace and took off the ring placed on his finger at birth, the ring that symbolized that he was a Lanier. He took Zaria's left hand and slid the ring onto her ring finger.  
  
"I'm pledging myself to you," he said. "No, I'm doing more than just that. I'm uniting our souls for eternity, for we both know that we are meant to be together for all eternity," he said, his voice shaking as he struggled to stop the tears from flowing.  
  
Zaria looked up into his face, tears streaming down her cheeks. He knew. He knew what she had foreseen. He knew her too well.  
  
"I know that, Zeth, but this ring is the most consequential thing to you in the world. How can you give it to me?" she asked, shaking her head.  
  
Zeth took Zaria in his arms.  
  
"Zaria, I want you to understand that the most important thing to me is not this ring, but it is you."  
  
Zaria started crying, the sobs wracking through her body. Why did he have to be so damn wonderful, especially on a day when he knew that they might be parted forever?  
  
Zaria looked at the ring, still on her finger after all those years. She twisted it, gazing at the carvings on it.  
  
Why did things have to change?  
  
Zaria sighed deeply. Zeth had probably known that on that day, they were going to be parted. They never should have made those promises because it pained her deeply to know that now the only one to remember them was her, and her alone.  
  
"Tasuki, you fool, where are you going?!" Zeth yelled, as Galen ran speedily ahead.  
  
Zaria stood right behind him, her twin swords poised in the air, ready for battle.  
  
"Galen, stop!" she shouted. "It's dangerous to follow it any further!"  
  
But Galen heeded no one's words. He just kept on charging after the Magic Bandicoot.  
  
"He's going to get himself into trouble," Zeth muttered. "I've got to go stop him." He dashed off in the direction Galen had gone.  
  
"NO! Don't go, Zeth," Zaria implored, grabbing his arm. "I have this feeling that if you go, something will happen to you! Stay with me! I need you, Zeth! I'm not ready to let you go . . ."  
  
Zeth paused for a moment, and looked back at Zaria, gazing tenderly into her eyes.  
  
"Zaria," he said, slowly removing her hand from his arm. "I'll be all right. Wait here for me. I'll be right back to come and get you after I get Galen." He momentarily laid his hand on her cheek benevolently and then ran off.  
  
"Wait!" she cried, dropping her other sword. She started running after him, but the strong winds of the pulsating magic dust pulled her back and she stumbled on the boulders that she was trying to climb over.  
  
She got up and kept running after him, but then she tripped again, and fell on an exceptionally sharp rock and it pierced her leg, leaving a very deep wound. Her leg started bleeding, and the blood was pouring out, soaking her clothing. Although the pain was excruciating, she paid her wound no heed. She dragged herself back up, and attempted to run while limping, gasping with pain. She kept on running until she saw Zeth and Galen running towards the edge of a cliff. Galen ran and leaped off the cliff, and it looked like Zeth was going to jump down after him.  
  
"STOP!" she screamed, and half ran, half limped over to his direction, but she was too late. Zeth senselessly jumped down after Galen.  
  
"ZETH!" she cried, collapsing to the ground. Her scream pierced throughout miles and miles of rocky landscape, the cry so sorrowful and agonizing that all that heard cringed with fear.  
  
Her salty flow of tears mingled with her bright crimson blood, and she wearily pulled herself back up and ran to the edge of the cliff, sobs wracking her body. If Zeth was dead, she wanted to die too. She managed to drag her weakened body to the edge of the cliff and was about to jump off but then a slender arm with a surprisingly firm and strong grip grasped her from behind, pulling her back from the edge of the cliff. She turned around. Through her tears she could see that it was her friend Shana, whose eyes were full of pity and disquietude.  
  
"Let go of me!" Zaria cried, trying to shake Shana's hands off. "Zeth is gone! I can't go on without Zeth and Galen!"  
  
She struggled valiantly, trying to wrench herself out of Shana's grasp but Shana held on to her tightly, not letting go no matter how adamantly Zaria struggled, not even when Zaria scratched her. The wind was howling and pulling at them both.  
  
"Zaria!" Shana shouted, tears flowing out her eyes. "Don't try to jump down! You know that Zeth would have wanted you to live! I know you love Zeth, but you can't die just because he did! He's not the only one who cares about you! There are other people who need you too! Try to understand that, please!"  
  
"No! No! I don't care," sobbed Zaria hysterically. "Zeth and Galen are gone!"  
  
She continued to scream and struggle, but then Jesse came and helped Shana restrain her, yet the magnitude of her sorrow and pain gave her extra strength, so she ignored the throbbing pain on her leg and continued to struggle. Jesse and Shana tried their best to pull her back but they were losing the battle, because at the moment, nothing was stronger than Zaria's will to rejoin Zeth, whether it was in life or death. Jesse yelled for reinforcements and then others warriors came and surrounded Zaria and pinned her down tightly to the ground so she couldn't move, no matter how hard she struggled. Zaria sobbed and screamed, but they managed to get her back to the camp, dress her wound, although it was a hard task to do with Zaria screaming and sobbing uncontrollably, and got her to go to sleep by injecting tranquilizers.  
  
As soon as Zaria woke up, she felt a throbbing pain pulsating throughout her whole body. She moaned in pain, and glanced to her right, automatically expecting Zeth to be lying down beside her, but he wasn't there. She remembered what had happened and she started crying softly. She looked up at the sky.  
  
"How could you leave me, Zeth?" she whispered sadly. "I thought we were going to get married when the war ends. I thought that you were going to protect me, and be here for me to care for you. How could you break all your promises and vows? If I go to the place that we promised and wait, will you come? Or will you leave me alone . . ." She then burrowed her head in her pillow and sobbed softly.  
  
She remained in that state for three days, until it was time for Zeth and Galen's funeral. Zaria didn't want to go, but Shana came to her tent and had a long talk with her.  
  
Zaria had been lying down, facing away from Shana, staring blankly at the material of the tent. She seemed frozen, her eyes wide open, dried tears on her cheeks, and her mouth twisted in a grimace.  
  
"Zaria," Shana said softly, reaching over to stroke Zaria's hair. "Zaria, I know you have suffered a great loss, but you have to accept it instead of wallowing in your private pool of self pity."  
  
Zaria didn't move a muscle, but just lay there, unresponsive.  
  
"And you know how much Zeth hated how people let themselves drown in their pools of self pity, because he knew that if you spent all your time doing that, you would never get anything else in your life accomplished, and you would never feel better about anything," Shana continued.  
  
Zaria slowly sat up and turned around the face Shana, tears lingering on her lashes.  
  
"But that doesn't matter anymore, because Zeth's not here now," Zaria said softly, her face void of any emotion or expression whatsoever. "Just leave me alone, Shana. You don't understand," she finished adversely.  
  
Shana, shocked, reached over and slapped Zaria on the face, her eyes stinging from the tears about to spill out. "Zaria! How can you say that? You are disrespecting Zeth's memory by not following his wishes! And in fact, I do know how it feels to lose a loved one.I lost my family, after all," she trailed off.  
  
Zaria felt her heart softening a little remembering Shana's pain when she had found out that her entire family had been in a town that was completely destroyed by a fire, with no survivors. But.Shana still had her childhood friend, Dart. Dart had saved Shana from many fatal experiences, and Zaria had suspected that there was more going on between them than they let on.  
  
Zaria looked up at Shana. "But you still have Dart, and I have lost Zeth," she said grievously, almost accusingly.  
  
Shana nodded, her eyes looking far away and deploring. "Yes, but I have lost my parents and other family members dear to me. I realized the importance of living my life, and you will too," she continued. "I'm sorry I struck you, Zaria, but you need to understand. Please, respect the memory of Zeth. I'm sure that one day, you two will somehow be reunited. It is true that if one truly loves, one can exist without the loved one."  
  
Zaria fixed her emerald eyes on Shana's dark brown eyes, and the tears started welling up, and they overflowed. Zaria sobbed, her whole body shaking, and Shana reached over and hugged her. They stayed like that for a long time, and Zaria cried out all her tears. Finally Dart came in and took Shana away, giving Zaria some time to rest. It seemed like Zaria was starting the journey of accepting what had happened, and during that talk, she had matured greatly.  
  
But it seemed at the day of the funeral, even though Zaria had agreed to go she seemed to forget all the Shana had told her. Zaria stood in the back, wearing all black, with the black ribbon around her neck that had the silvery thread running through it, and the sterling ring that Zeth had given her. Zaria's heart felt numb. She didn't think she could ever care for anyone again, much less in the way she had cared about Zeth. She had lost her soul mate to Death, and there was nothing she could do. Then she remembered her talk with Shana. Shana was right. Zeth would have wanted her to live, even though Zaria would have much preferred dying. But she would keep all her vows. She would always think of Zeth, and would never marry or love another, because her heart and soul belonged to Zeth, as the ring on her left maiden finger symbolized.  
  
Even though the war was still going on, Zaria couldn't find it in her heart the motivation to continue fighting. She didn't want to kill anyone anymore. She didn't want to cause anyone the same pain that she had experienced, the pain of losing a loved one. She would devote herself to helping others, to use her healing powers to help people. She still kept her twin swords, although she didn't know why. Maybe she would use them again someday.  
  
The war ended, and all became well. Link started paying Zaria daily visits, for they both lived in the same town. He would come twice a day, and talk to her about old times. He tried to rekindle their short relationship, but Zaria's heart remained numb to all emotion. Except for agitation. Why didn't Link understand how much she had loved Zeth, and how no one could ever replace him? Yet Link still tried, until one day, Zaria just frostily told him to forget her and go find someone else. As Link left, he sadly looked back at her, and said something that Zaria would never forget.  
  
"You're not the only one who's hurting, you know."  
  
After that, Zaria never saw Link again, but heard of his adventures through the gossip mill. Apparently, he had been sent back in time, youthened to age two, sent to another continent, and had grown up to save a kingdom called Hyrynd. He had saved the princess of Hyrynd, and had married her. Her name was Princess Lara, and she derived from elven stock. Zaria was happy for Link, and was also happy that he was out of her life. Seeing Link was very tormenting for her, also because he looked exactly like Zeth and he even had Zeth's little endearing idiosyncrasies. Zaria hadn't been able to handle it. Now, Link probably had no memory of her or his home, or of the Mage war. It was like he had been reincarnated yet he was still the same Link. Maybe Zaria would go see what Hyrynd was like someday.  
  
But, no matter what, she would always keep her promise to Zeth, and would never give her heart to another. She would never be the same again.  
  
Until Zeth came back into my life, thought Zaria. All those years, she thought he was dead. He had been stuck in some sort of time warp in the cave under the cliff. For sixty years.  
  
But now, Zaria and Zeth had a second chance to live their lives together and be happy. Yet, the irony of the situation was that Zeth didn't remember anything about their past, and it wouldn't be right for Zaria to accept his love without him remembering. For if she did, then their love wouldn't be as pure, it would just be based on her memories alone and a feeling that told him that they had known each other before, and Zaria didn't want that.  
  
Zaria looked at the dim light of the dawn pouring in through the window, and suddenly remembered their plight.  
  
She turned to Zeth, who was still sleeping. How she treasured him.how much this reminded her of those mornings in the tent where she would wake him up.  
  
She laid her hand on his arm and shook him gently. "Zeth, wake up," she said softly. His eyelids trembled slightly, and then opened. The piercing aqua blue color shot darts into her heart.  
  
"Zaria?" he muttered groggily. "Is that you?"  
  
The familiarity of the sound of Zeth's sleepy tone made Zaria's knees weaken, and her heart had an achy, longing feeling. Yet she stifled her true feelings and she just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yes! Who else would it be?" she exclaimed. "Wake up, sleepyhead! We have to get out of Werin as soon as possible!"  
  
Zeth sat up with a start. "Oh yeah."  
  
They then freshened up and left the motel. As they walked through the streets of Werin, Zaria marveled to herself at how quiet the town was at this time. No one was awake, so she didn't have to worry about any unwanted advances. After all, it was five in the morning. They left the town, and Zaria looked back just once. She never wanted to go to Werin again.  
  
* * *  
  
"Your house is so nice, Fuuko! It's like a mansion!" Cat exclaimed in a tone full of excitement and wonder, drinking in the marble floors, modern décor, classic paintings, and sumptuous atmosphere of Fuuko's family's home. She twirled around.  
  
"Are you sure it's all right to just barge in like this?" Adrian asked Fuuko, his voice full of uncertainty.  
  
Fuuko shrugged. "No matter whatever has happened, this is still my house," she replied nonchalantly, and kept on walking towards the library where she knew her father would be.  
  
Zack lagged behind the group, looking at the portraits of members of Fuuko's family. They seemed so different from Fuuko, so hostile in appearance. While Fuuko looked athletic and energetic, they looked like the kind of people who only participated in inactive activities all day. He stopped short to look at one particularly small picture of a young girl who looked very much like Fuuko. He stared at the picture. He felt the gentle touch of a feminine hand on his shoulder, and turned around and saw Fuuko. Fuuko smiled at him, and turned to the picture that he had been studying.  
  
"It's my sister," Fuuko said sadly. "The one person in my family who saw things my way, who understood me, but she ran away from home when I was only twelve. I never saw her again."  
  
Zack looked at the girl in the picture. She looked so familiar, although she looked nothing like Fuuko. He felt like he knew this girl very well, like she was someone that he saw every day.  
  
"What's her name?" he asked Fuuko.  
  
Fuuko looked at the picture with a sad, faraway look in her eyes. "Her name is Faye. My beloved sister, Faye Takano. Wherever she went though, she probably changed her surname, although I know she would never change her first name. It was the only thing that my parents had given to her that she cared about."  
  
Zack stared at Fuuko in disbelief. "Faye? No wonder she looks so familiar! She lives in my hometown, and when I was small she used to take care of me! She still lives there in Mydele, I think!"  
  
"What?" Fuuko practically shouted in excitement. "You know Faye?"  
  
Zack nodded. "She changed her name to Faye Kurenai, and she lives next door to me," he continued.  
  
Fuuko grasped Zack's shoulders. "After this mission, Zack, you must take me to her!" she demanded.  
  
Zack nodded. Of course he would take her to see Faye. He would do anything for Fuuko. "Yeah, I will," he said.  
  
Fuuko gave him a grateful smile. Zack gazed into Fuuko's eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, the glowing blue eyes that would soothe even the wildest of beasts.  
  
"Fuuko!" a harsh voice resonated throughout the hallway. Fuuko turned around and was slapped hard in the face. She stepped back momentarily, holding her hand to her cheek. She slowly lifted her head up and saw her father, the President of Nakano, his eyes blazing with fury and hatred. Fuuko hardened her gaze and stared up at him, challenging him to strike her again.  
  
"How dare you return!" he yelled. "To show your face here after all you have done! After the entire dispute you have caused! After all havoc you have stirred throughout the town! You have caused great shame to befall this family by your reckless, selfish actions. Have you no shame? You're just like Faye, except she had the sense not to show up here again!"  
  
Fuuko stared glacially at him. "I would much rather be like Faye than be like you, Father. Yes, I'm ashamed, but only of one thing. I'm ashamed of having you as a father," she spat.  
  
Cat appeared in the hallway. Her dark eyes widened when she saw what was going on, and she hurriedly gathered up the others and got them out of the Takano mansion without anyone noticing.  
  
Meanwhile, Fuuko's father was still spewing out insults in Fuuko's face.  
  
"Get out of my house! Get out of Nakano! Get out of this world!" he shouted fervently. "You have shamed your family, you are no longer a Takano! You have no right to return to my home, disrupting the peace as you have done before! To be in the Takano family, you must have discipline! Faye had none, so she left because she couldn't handle any responsibility, as is the case with you!"  
  
He raised his hand to slap Fuuko again, but Zack caught his wrist. "What the $%^& are you doing?!" he swore. "If you touch one @#$% hair on Fuuko's head, I will take my spear and you shall die the death of a thousand cuts! I don't care who you are, but you have no right to strike a woman of Fuuko's position!" He narrowed his eyes threateningly.  
  
President Takano glared at Zack and then turned back to Fuuko.  
  
"Another man that you have deceived with your charms, you strumpet! Have you no shame at all, Fuuko? I am ashamed to have such a low creature share my surname! You are no longer a Takano! GET OUT!" he bellowed.  
  
Fuuko stared at the man whom she used to call Father, swallowed back her tears and gathered up the last ounce of dignity that she had, and left the mansion. Zack quickly followed her out.  
  
They were standing in front of the Presidential Mansion, the place Fuuko used to call home.  
  
"Where are the others?" Zack wondered aloud, and then turned to Fuuko. She hadn't uttered a word. She looked up at him, and he saw that her beautiful glowing blue eyes were glowing even more brightly with unshed tears.  
  
"I have no family left who cares about me," she whispered brokenly, facing away from him. Zack awkwardly patted her back, and was taken aback when she turned to him and started sobbing on his shoulder.  
  
"You have us now," he murmured softly into her ear, and he slowly placed his arms around her. They stood in the middle of the road, oblivious to all that saw them.  
  
* * *  
  
"Look at them," Cat whispered to Breanna, giggling. "Looks like Zack's not doing so bad," she sang with glee.  
  
Breanna laughed, and then quickly changed her expression and looked at Cat solemnly.  
  
"I wonder what happened with Fuuko and her father," she muttered quietly. "I can imagine."  
  
Cat nodded. "I know what it feels like to be without a family, without a name," she mumbled, looking away, her mood darkening.  
  
Breanna looked Cat's way. What was the girl talking about? Wasn't she adopted? She didn't need to make such a big deal about things like that, if she had a loving home. In Breanna's case, she did have parents, but they didn't care about her at all. During her teen years, she would get home at about three in the morning everyday, having stayed up all night doing numerous activities, but her parents didn't even notice. She had felt so uncomfortable, unwanted, and unloved around them. Yet as she looked at Cat, she felt sorry for the girl.  
  
"Cat," she began, "here's an idea. How about after this mission, we stop by at Najida and tell Vincent that we have some important business to attend to. He'll understand. Then we can go look for your real parents. How does that sound?"  
  
Cat looked up at Breanna, hope brightening up her dark eyes.  
  
"Really?"  
  
Breanna smiled at her.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I'll go with you, Cat," Adrian volunteered out of the blue. "We can go now, in fact. Breanna, you stay here with Zack and Fuuko and complete the mission. Then in two days we'll all meet back at Najida. I'm sure Zeth and Zaria will be back by then as well."  
  
Breanna looked at Adrian and raised an eyebrow. "You? How would you be able to help anyone, hybrid?"  
  
Adrian was deeply offended by her cruel remark, but didn't show it. He had learned long ago never to show too much emotion, because if you did, people could find your weakness and take advantage of you. "I want to help her, and I can do it, Breanna," he said shortly.  
  
Breanna looked expectantly at Cat. Cat nodded. "Thank you, Adrian," she said shyly.  
  
Breanna threw her hands up in exasperation. "Whatever," she said. "I'll go bother Zack and Fuuko now." She rolled her eyes in her usual fashion and started walking towards the couple.  
  
Adrian turned to Cat. "Let's go," he said, his face still showing no expression.  
  
* * *  
  
Zeth trudged slowly behind Zaria, counting his paces to keep himself from drifting off. They had been walking for hours, and still, there was no evidence of civilization in sight. The sun was approaching the west horizon now. Suddenly, Zaria stopped short and turned around to look at Zeth.  
  
"Do you have any water?" she asked hopefully, her eyes reflecting the light of the sun. Her eyes looked like sparkling pools of verdant liquid. He shook his head. She sighed and began massaging her temples. As she put her fingers up near her face, Zeth saw a glimmer of silver on her ring finger.  
  
He reached over and took her hand and gaped at the ring. The silver seemed to radiate ethereal light, and the light blinded him. He shut his eyes, yet the silvery light found its way through and poured into his head, filling his entire head with brightness. Zeth shook his head back and forth violently and fell over onto the ground, his body writhing in pain. Flashbacks were running through his head, and they were going so fast, making his head spin. Then, in one of his memories he saw Zaria's face up close, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her face blurred and became a black hole, the very blackness of it terrifying. He was falling, down, down, and he never stopped falling. All of a sudden, everything disappeared, and he was sitting on a crater on the moon, alone in the dark.  
  
Where am I? He shouted into the darkness, yet nothing changed, and he was still alone.  
  
The silver light surrounded him again, bathing him in the brilliance of it. Everything went white for a moment, and then a scene appeared before him. He saw himself, and he saw Zaria, but it was like he was watching the two of them on a screen. He then felt a force pulling him onto the screen, and the entire world around him changed.  
  
"Zeth! Zeth!" he heard from far away. "ZETH!" yet he was still falling down the cliff and the voice sounded farther away each moment.  
  
Goodbye, Zaria, he thought, closing his eyes as he plunged down the depths to his eternal doom, his eternal separation from his beloved. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just let Galen go like that. Forgive me. He kept on going down, and finally he dared to open his eyes to gaze at his murky grave. He was amazed to see a large mass of swirling greenish clouds just a few hundred meters underneath him. He flew down into the clouds and was enveloped in their aura of timeless bliss . . .  
  
More memories flashed through his head, traveling with such speed that he could barely catch the gist of them. He saw many different people, a picture of Zaria appearing every now and then, her face smiling at him. All of a sudden the memories seemed to slow down, and then stopped.  
  
Zeth speculated his options. Was he to comfort Zaria, or just ignore her? He ached to take her into his arms and whisper loving words of consolation in her ear, but she didn't care about him. She only cared about his twin brother, Link. Yet here she was, crying, and those precious tears of hers that were being wasted had been caused by Link.  
  
No, he thought. It's better if I keep my feelings hidden, to prevent any awkwardness between us. She's too young for me, anyway.  
  
He was surprised to hear Zaria screaming at him.  
  
"Don't you care about anyone but yourself?" she cried, with a note of disconsolateness in her voice.  
  
He had looked at her, and saw her in a new light. She no longer was the aloof girl who was too presumptuous for his partiality, but now she was a lonely, fragile creature who needed someone's care.  
  
The memories started whipping around in his head again, swirling through the chambers of his mind. "Stop!" Zeth yelled, clutching his head. Everything went white again.  
  
Zeth saw the pain in Zaria's eyes as she looked at him. He knew what she had foreseen. He knew that something was going to happen to him. Something horrible enough to make Zaria hurt inside, to make her look at him with those sorrowful eyes. The emerald green eyes had become a darker shade, and didn't seem as clear and sparkling as they had been before.  
  
He knew she didn't want to tell him, and he didn't know what to do if he lost her, but before he was to be taken away from her, he wanted to bestow on her his most valuable possession. He knew it would be wrong to bind Zaria to him now, it would be selfish, yet he felt like someday, somehow, they would be reunited, and they would both wait for that day for the rest of their lives.  
  
"Zaria, I want you to have this," he said, giving her his family ring, the ring that had been passed on in his family for countless generations. To anyone who knew the meaning of the ring, it was a symbol of everlasting and undying love. A rose was engraved into it, signifying the strength of the giver's feelings towards the recipient.  
  
No matter what happened, they would someday be reunited.  
  
"ARGH! Unnnnh!" Zeth moaned in pain. He felt like there was the pressure of an anvil pressing against every section of his head. The pain was unbearable, yet some force kept on shooting the memories through his head like darts. The flashes of light pounded through his brain, resonating into every nerve in his body, making him cringe.  
  
"This is Zaria," concluded Jesse.  
  
Zeth glanced in the direction that Jesse had gestured and saw one of the most beautiful sights to look at that he had ever set his eyes on in his entire life. The girl called Zaria had long, thick, dark brown hair, which in the front was short and framed her face. Her bright emerald eyes were gazing at him curiously. Around her neck was an ebony ribbon with a single silver thread running through it. The silver thread flashed iridescently, reflecting the light of ardor into Zeth's soul.  
  
Yet Zeth could not bring himself to act friendly towards this angelic creature, for he had been deceived before by mere beauty, and he didn't want it to happen again. He saw Link expressing his interest towards the young woman called Zaria, and he saw that she was returning his interest, as most females did to Link.  
  
Too late to do anything about it, he thought. If I thought I might have had a chance to get to know her, I was wrong, for I have no chance against the wonderful Link. I have loved and lost before, and I don't want it to happen again.  
  
He saw Zaria glance over in his direction, so he quickly turned his head in the opposite direction and pasted a bored look on his face, concealing any feelings that might have sneaked their way out.  
  
The whir of memories and flashbacks continued, making Zeth breathless. He didn't know what these memories were about . . . he now remembered how it had been like the day he met Zaria, but he didn't yet know why he had been so frosty to her then. Was it merely because of her beauty? What had he had against mere beauty? He racked through the collection of memories, trying to find the one that would let him remember why.  
  
"Why have you been so heartless to me earlier?" Zaria asked him in the most innocent tone imaginable, the tone that was designed to get anyone, even the coldest of hearts, to reveal all.  
  
"Umm, you're too young," Zeth said quickly.  
  
Zaria pursed her lips. "Come on, really. We're only five years apart!"  
  
He looked down at his lap. "I.just.didn't want to be hurt." Zeth mumbled awkwardly. "Things are not always what they seem, you know," he muttered.  
  
"Who hurt you?" Zaria had asked him candidly. "Tell me about it, Zeth."  
  
Zeth had been very reluctant to reveal the pains of his past to anyone, even Zaria. Although he had actually known her for only a short time, he felt like he could tell her anything about himself and she would understand. It was a mutual feeling, a feeling that drew him to her.  
  
He began telling Zaria his story about the one whom had made him close up his heart to any signs of love. It all started when he was a carefree, conceited young man, thinking that since he was good-looking and was a dexterous combatant that he could have anything he wanted. He hadn't known that his life was all a cruel lie. He had been lied to about his origin, lied to about every single detail of his life.  
  
He had thought his place of birth was the town of Galdia, but he later found out that he was from Mydele, the same place as Zaria was from. He had been lied to about his ancestors, lied to about his family. Only after he had found the truth had he fled the place he grew up in, gone to Mydele and sought his relatives, and acquired the Lanier family ring. The ring that had been placed on his finger at birth but then taken away was finally restored to him.  
  
Yet that was not the reason that he had shut himself off from all forms of love.  
  
As with every story, there was a girl, a girl named Ray. Her full name was Ray Cyranno, and she had heavenly silvery blonde hair that sometimes took on a greenish tint. She was very quiet, and seemed emotionless, yet Zeth had been able to get through to her heart. As soon as he had accomplished that, she had been one of the most wonderful things that had ever happened to him. She had taught him how sometimes, you had to work hard to get what you want. She had taught him that not everything would come to him just because he wanted it to. She taught him how to care about other's feelings, how to show them you cared about them.  
  
For that, Zeth would be forever grateful. Then, one day, a shocking piece of news had hit him. Ray had been taken away, taken to another continent, yet no one knew where. Zeth had wanted to go seek her, and he was about to set out on his quest to find Ray when Ray's adoptive parents had stopped him, and told him the truth about Ray.  
  
Ray was not a normal human being. She had been born in an experiment, a result of the experimentation of DNA. She had only been temporarily sent to live at Galdia, and she was sent back to her homeland to be frozen until she was needed in the future, whence she would be thawed. They had only wanted her to grow to the age of eighteen, and then she was to be preserved until many years later when they would need her. Zeth wanted to go and find her anyway, so maybe he could wait until she was thawed and be with her then, but then he was informed that no one knew when Ray and her unknown power would be needed. She might have to be preserved for decades, maybe even centuries. No one knew. Yet Zeth still was determined to find her and bring her back. Until Ray's adoptive parents told him that if by some miracle he did happen to find her in her home country's top secret laboratories, if he didn't know the proper procedure to thaw her, she would die, and what would the point be then?  
  
Zeth had then finally admitted his defeat, and had sunk into a depression. No one had been able to approach him, for if they did, he would go into fits of rage, demanding to be alone. Many village elders shook their heads, thinking of what a waste it was, to have a young man with such high potential turn into a lunatic, but Zeth didn't care what people thought of him.  
  
He thought for a while, and decided to go and find his real family. He traveled throughout the continent, visiting every single city, questioning anyone who would talk to him. Many were concerned about him, a teenage boy traveling alone, although he was quite adept in the martial arts.  
  
Finally, after a year of wandering, he found what he was looking for in Mydele. He found his grandfather, and he found that he actually had a twin, whom was named Link, after his true father Link Lanier the Third. Zeth didn't like Link much, for Link seemed very pretentious, yet he did have his good qualities. After all, he was Zeth's twin brother.  
  
He stayed in Mydele for a few years, getting himself under control, training in order to continue the warrior pride of the Lanier family. War befell Nova, and Zeth, Link, and many other young men defended the town of Mydele. Then one day, Link asked Zeth if he wanted to join a large group of warriors whom were in the front lines. Zeth agreed, and that was how he ended up meeting Galen, a special friend, and Zaria.  
  
And with that, Zeth looked at her intently. "And I do not regret meeting you, Zaria."  
  
Zaria gazed at him. "Zeth," she murmured. "You have suffered so much more than I."  
  
He looked down, but then looked back up to meet Zaria's gaze.  
  
"Even though you are still quite young, you are wise. You came along and healed the wounds of my heart. You were my medicine, the cure for my pain. Thank you, Zaria."  
  
The scene replayed itself repeatedly in his head. Now, Zeth remembered, remembered all those intimate moments with Zaria. He also regained his memories of Ray, with her rare yet gentle smile and cornflower blue eyes, her soft, shy voice. He remembered his grandfather, his real grandfather, and the tears that had fell from the old man's eyes when he had seen that his other grandson had indeed lived. He remembered Link, his double in appearance, yet his opposite in personality. He remembered the people whom he had thought were his parents, how they had given him their love as though he were their own. He remembered the torturous day that he had found out that Galdia had been destroyed, burned down to ashes during the Mage war. He remembered Zaria's pained expression when she had found out, and how she knew exactly what to do to help him get over his arduous pain. He remembered his best friend Galen, how Galen had guided him through so many ordeals. He remembered everything about his life before he had been sucked in the time warp in the cave. The pain slowly subsided, as the flood of memories gradually descended, and then ceased.  
  
Zeth slowly opened his eyes, to see a pair of intense emerald eyes gazing at him in concern.  
  
When Zaria saw that Zeth had regained consciousness, she cried out in relief and threw her arms around him, tears dripping out of her eyes.  
  
"Zeth . . . I was so worried, I thought I had lost you again," she sobbed.  
  
She slowly drew back and wiped away her tears with her gloves. "I'm sorry to confuse you, I know you probably don't know what I'm talking about . . . I'm sorry . . . just ignore what I said," she whispered brokenly, ignoring his intent gaze.  
  
Zeth put his hand under her chin and lifted her face up, smiling at her.  
  
"You're wrong, Zaria. I do remember now. I remember everything. I remember Galen, Link, Jesse, Ray, my grandpa, everyone, and most important of all, I remember that I love you. I remember now, Zaria," he said, smiling softly at her the whole time.  
  
Zaria breathed hard for a moment. She was still in a state of disbelief.what had caused this sudden return of memory? But then, the important thing was that she had her old Zeth back again.  
  
"Zeth!" she cried through tears of joy. Finally, finally, she had been truly reunited with Zeth.  
  
This time, she wholeheartedly embraced him, sobbing out all the misery that she had gone through for the sixty years that she had spent waiting. Zeth put his arms around Zaria, and a tear fell out of his eye.  
  
"Zaria..."  
  
  
  
Wow getting a little bit more intense ( I hope you like it more as the story progresses! Don't worry; it's not too sappy, there are just some parts. Please review if you want me to continue posting or if you think it's terrible and I should never write again. This part is quite sappy, the rest of the story isn't! Thanks! 


	4. Chapter 04 Winged Heart and Soul

And the plot thickens! (Not much yet, actually, I'm still going through the basic character development). Please read and review!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Winged Heart and Soul  
  
Cat reached down and adjusted her boots. She glimpsed Adrian watching her out of the corner of her eye. She stood back up.  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked. She didn't know where to start, but maybe Adrian had an idea.  
  
"We're going to the Forest of the Elves," he replied. "You have elven ears, so I'm sure you have some non-human ancestry. I just thought that would be a good place to start," he said, shrugging.  
  
Cat nodded, acknowledging the fact that she wasn't completely human. She sighed. How she longed for the ability to fly. If she could fly, she would explore the skies, and maybe find a kingdom of clouds. That was her fantasy, the one thing that she had wished for as long as she could remember. She twirled a lock of purple hair around one finger. Well, maybe she was an elf, for elves were the only folk who had eccentric hair colors. She cast a sideways glance at Adrian. His wings were so beautiful. She didn't understand how Breanna could've thought that Adrian looked freakish.  
  
"We're almost there," Adrian said shortly. It was so quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle pumping of Adrian's wings and the shuffle of her boots on the grassy ground.  
  
Cat looked beyond the trees of the Forest of the Elves into the distance, seeing the mountains with their peaks so high that they were hidden in the fog of the clouds up above. Sigh. This was going to be a long trip, if Adrian was going to be this quiet the whole time.  
  
They approached the village in the Forest of the Elves, and once they reached the main square Cat saw petite people with pointy ears like hers bustling about everywhere. What she had heard about the elven folk was true, for their hair was a variety of colors that weren't normally on people's heads. There were shades of pink, purple, blue, red, orange, and green, of every single hue imaginable.  
  
It was amazing. Cat felt overwhelmed, for she had never seen people who looked so similar to her before.  
  
Adrian started into the village, but Cat held him back.  
  
"Wait," she said. "I don't know if I'm ready. This is all so different from my known world. I don't know if I'm ready to face all the hidden secrets of my past. I'm . . . I'm . . . afraid."  
  
Adrian rolled his eyes tactlessly. "Am I doing you a favor, or am I doing you a favor?" he emphasized.  
  
She glared at him. "Just try to understand people once in a while, Adrian," she said, for the first time not having the strength to continue arguing with him. She started walking in the village, and Adrian followed her.  
  
She didn't know where to go, but she was so irked at Adrian that she just kept on walking down the road aimlessly.  
  
"And where do you plan on going, Miss?" Adrian asked satirically. He walked after her, sighing. He was currently in his normal state, in fear that his flying state would scare all the elves away.  
  
Cat remained silent, and kept walking. "I think it would be smart to ask people who the elders of this village are," called out Adrian. Cat stopped abruptly and turned around to face him.  
  
"That's a rather good idea," she admitted. She turned to the nearest elf that was walking by her.  
  
"Excuse me, sir, may I ask you something?"  
  
The elf man stopped and looked at Cat. "Hello," he greeted her. "Are you an elf girl? I've never seen you around before. You're a pretty one," he said admiringly.  
  
Cat blushed and smiled. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I don't know if I'm an elf or not, but there is a pretty big chance that I am. I came here to find out who my parents are," she explained, "and I was just wondering if you happened to know any elders who would know about elf children who had been born but sent away and been adopted by humans."  
  
The elf man tilted his head in thought. "Well, yes in fact, there is someone whom I know that might be able to help you. His name is Bink, and he lives in tree number 10/230, which is not far from here. Just continue going down this path and in about ten minutes you'll see it."  
  
Cat smiled sweetly and thanked the man. She then grabbed Adrian and dragged him down the road. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until the utter hush was about to drive Cat insane.  
  
"Adrian, if you didn't want to come then why did you come with me?" she finally burst out.  
  
Adrian looked up. "Who said I didn't want to come with you? I came along as your friend, and because I know my way around these areas. I've been here before, you know. The Forest of the Elves is a place that is said to have magic dust in the air, and that is one of the reasons that the elders here are so magically wise."  
  
Cat kept silent, walking deep in thought.  
  
"Adrian, what's your home like?" she asked suddenly. Adrian looked up at her, and looked at the sky, as if searching for his answer.  
  
How could he tell her that he had lied to them all? He didn't have a true home village . . . he was unique of his species, and his name wasn't really Adrian. When he was an infant, he had been found in the middle of an abandoned village of his kind. Nobody knew where the rest of the creatures like Adrian who had lived there had gone, even though they did know that they were a species that had been warriors during the Mage war. He had been all alone until the goblins came across him while exploring the forlorn village, and then he had grown up among the goblins. They had raised him well, for although goblin men weren't the most pleasant of folk, goblin women were fair of face and pure of heart. When he had grown up, he felt like he didn't fit in anywhere. He needed to go out on his own. His adoptive mother, Gloha, had not wanted him to go, but he felt like he needed to go out and do something that would make a difference in the world. After all, he was the only one left of his species. But, how could he tell Cat all that? He had never planned to tell anyone, so he certainly wouldn't let his secret slip now.  
  
He tore his gaze away from the sky and forced himself to face Cat.  
  
"I don't feel like talking about my home right now," he said slowly. "I didn't have such a good experience at home, so that's why I left."  
  
Cat nodded, understanding but still curious. When would he ever talk about himself? He seemed so mysterious. Well, it didn't matter right now, because they had reached Bink Elf's home.  
  
Bink's Elf's house was basically a tree house, and you had to climb up the tree to reach the entrance. Cat looked down at her boots. They weren't exactly ideal footwear for climbing, but they would have to do. She reluctantly placed her foot on the base of the tree.  
  
Adrian followed her gaze to her boots and realized that Cat wouldn't be able to climb up the tree wearing those boots. He would have to carry her up then, he decided. He morphed into his winged form, grabbed Cat by the waist and pumped his wings, and they flew up.  
  
"What are you doing, Adrian?" Cat shrieked, squirming in his arms.  
  
"Stop moving around!" Adrian demanded, flying around the tree, looking for the entrance. Finally he found a structure that resembled a door and knocked on it, still carrying Cat and pumping his wings, trying to stay in the air. It was toilsome labor, because he had never carried anyone while staying aloft before. He started breathing laboriously and looking at the door in anguish, for Cat wasn't exactly light as a feather even though she was petite, even for an elf.  
  
Finally, at long last, the door opened, and a small elf girl stuck her head out. She saw Adrian in his vampire mode and screamed, immediately slamming the door shut in Adrian and Cat's faces. Adrian sighed in exasperation and continued to struggle to stay aloft.  
  
"Excuse me, we need to see Bink!" he yelled. "It's very urgent! We are not evil creatures! We will not harm you! Just let us see Bink!"  
  
A few moments later, the door opened again, and this time a friendly looking elf woman peered out.  
  
"Oh dear, please come in! You must be so exhausted, flying and waiting all this time!" she said, and cleared the way to let Cat and Adrian enter.  
  
Adrian put Cat down, transformed into his human form and turned around to face the woman.  
  
"Thank you so much, ma'am," he said politely. The elderly elf woman smiled. "You may call me Terra," she said warmly. "I take care of Bink. You have business with him? Oh dear, oh dear, I forgot to ask you your names! What are your names?"  
  
Cat stepped forward. "This is Adrian Wingheart, and he's a vampire/human/harpy crossbreed. I'm Cat Chere, and my origin is unknown. I came here to find out whether I have some elf background."  
  
As soon as Cat had said the name "Chere" the lady elf's eyes widened. "Oh dear, oh dear," she said worriedly. "You must go see Bink right away. Come right this way. Oh dear, oh dear."  
  
Terra led the way to a large room and inside was a three-dimensional observatory, showing the night sky, all the constellations, and a mapping of the charted universe. An elderly elf man who was wearing a long, azure robe was standing in the middle of it all and studying a section of the three-dimensional model. He heard Cat and Adrian entering the room but did not turn around to face them.  
  
"How I would love to go to places in the universe that have not yet been charted," he remarked, and then spun around to face Cat and Adrian.  
  
"Who are you, and why do you disturb my studies?" he inquired, stroking his beard. His pointy ears jutted out to the side, showing that he was an elven scholar.  
  
"Um, I'm Cat Chere," Cat stuttered. The expression on the old elf's face changed a little, but Cat didn't notice. The old elf turned to Adrian.  
  
"And you are?"  
  
"Adrian Wingheart," he replied. The old elf accepted that and then wrinkled his brow, stepped off his stand and amazingly, started floating towards Cat and Adrian.  
  
"And why would two youngsters like you two be looking for old Bink?" he croaked. He stepped towards Cat. "Miss Chere, why did you come here? Is it that you want to know about yourself? Or did you just feel like visiting old Bink?" Bink nodded to himself and floated away.  
  
"I want to know who I am," Cat blurted. "Please, let me know."  
  
Bink turned back to face Cat. "Do you want to know? Maybe it is better not to know. In many cases, ignorance and naivete is bliss. But not in this case, so I will tell you. You are an elf-harpy girl. Is that what you came to find out? If so, then please leave."  
  
Cat's face was flushed. "But," she stuttered, "is that all? Please tell me more, Mr. Bink."  
  
Bink tilted his head. "Child, knowing that facts will do nothing for you except make you change your name."  
  
Cat just gave him a pleading look. "Please, sir," she said quietly.  
  
Bink glanced in Adrian's way. "Mr. Wingheart," he began, "let's make a double or nothing deal, shall we not? I tell Miss Chere the truth about her background, and you tell her the truth about your background. After all, why don't we all just be honest with each other? Don't be afraid, Adrian. So, young man, do we have a deal?"  
  
The elderly elf had Adrian trapped in his penetrating gaze. Bink's eyes were a dark, dark blue, and they had flecks of silver in them. They reminded Adrian of the deep blue starry sky, going on and on forever, knowing all truths. Adrian felt hypnotized, and finally he accepted.  
  
"Yes," he told Bink softly. Cat's head snapped in his direction.  
  
"You haven't been telling me the truth, Adrian?" she said in surprise. Adrian slowly shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry, Cat, but I'm not who I said I was. Yes, my given name is Adrian, but my last name is just a last name that is common among my kind. I am the only one left of my species, and I was found as a baby in an abandoned village. A goblin maiden named Gloha came upon me, and wondered how an infant had morphing abilities, yet instead of being afraid of me she took me in, sacrificing her maidenhood in order to take care of me. She never married, never had any children of her own. She had to give everything up just to take care of me. I loved her like a son would love a mother, for she was the only mother I had known, but I felt like I didn't fit in the goblin community. When I turned fifteen, I left Goblin Forest, and came out into the world to find my calling. I was wandering aimlessly until I came upon Najida, and there I found the Arrow headquarters. Vincent invited me to join, so I did, and here I am now. I'm sorry I lied to you, Cat, and if you can't forgive me, I don't blame you. I was trying to be someone special, someone I'm not," he explained dolefully.  
  
Cat stared at him, feeling his pain of not having anyone like him around him. How awful he must feel to be the only one of his species.  
  
"It's all right, Adrian," she said. "I understand how you feel, and why you told us that. I really think that you should tell the others when we see them, and please, don't lie to me again. You are a wonderful person, and that's all that counts."  
  
Adrian looked at her with astonishment. He had expected her to be furious at him, but it appeared that she wasn't. Cat wasn't just a sprightly, energetic, impetuous person. She understood people.  
  
"Well, Miss Chere, it seems like Adrian had fulfilled his part of the deal, so I will fulfill mine," interjected Bink. "I will tell you your story through a scene from the past, for the planet saves every scene of what happens in a star, as every thing that happens creates another star. I can take the memory of that star and show it to you, so you will see the entire scene around you, but you will not be part of it. Adrian, I will show it to you, too."  
  
And with that, Bink seemed to reach up into his observatory and plucked a tiny star from the sky. He brought it down and a light started shining out from it, enveloping the whole room in a shining golden light. It blinded them all, and when they opened their eyes, a hazy scene unfolded before them.  
  
A ravishing winged elf maiden walked by the riverbank in the early dawn, so early that no one else in the village had awoken. A salty tear dropped down her cheek into the glittering blue river.  
  
She remembered what her father had told her yesterday.  
  
"You have no choice, Electra! You must wed Edward! You have no say in this situation! He is the only elf of proper stock in this village. No, I don't care if you want to see the world, I don't care if you do love that accursed harpy prince, but you will marry who I say!"  
  
Electra would never wed anyone but her beloved, Hector. Yes, he was a harpy prince, but he understood her better than anyone in the world, elf or animal.  
  
She heard a whirring of wings and looked up above to see Hector flying above. She spread her gossamer fairy-like wings and flew up to meet Hector.  
  
"Hector, you came!" she exclaimed with joy. "Let's go now, let's go to a place where no one will ever find us and live together happily ever after!"  
  
Hector took her hand. "Electra, I want to marry you. I want to protect you forever. Please marry me."  
  
Electra looked up at him, her eyes shining. "Yes, yes! Let's go have Bink perform the ceremony," she said happily.  
  
They flew to Bink's tree and knocked on the door. Terra, radiant in her youth, opened the door and took them to Bink's observatory.  
  
"Bink! I have a favor to ask of you," Electra cried. "Please perform the marriage ceremony for Hector and I, please," she begged.  
  
Bink looked from her to Hector, for he knew that Electra's father had wanted Electra to marry Edward Elf, but then he saw that Electra would have it no other way.  
  
"All right, all right," he said. He then performed the marriage ceremony, not the traditional one of the elves, but the one that even the stars would decree was meant to be. Hector and Electra's souls were now bound together by the stars.  
  
They thanked Bink, and then planned their escape. Little did they know that Bink had sent a star to track down their actions and location, in fear that something might happen to them.  
  
Alas, something happened. Electra was with a child, yet they were still traveling around the world. Bink was worried about the child's welfare, yet he did not interfere.  
  
Then the baby was born. Electra and Hector named the child Diana, for she was a beautiful infant, and when she was grown her loveliness would probably surpass even the Chaste Maiden of the Silver Moon. Yet one day, disaster befell Electra and Hector. They went to find some comestibles for the infant, and left Diana in the care of the faithful forest fairies. But then, a winged Zolom Zombie, the kind that had spawned from a Toki government experiment attacked them and they were devoured.  
  
The forest fairies found out what happened, and they knew that they couldn't take care of the infant forever, so they sought help. Bink had been watching all this time, and had felt deep sorrow when he learned of Electra and Hector's death, but he knew that he had to find a home for Diana. He then sent a star to retrieve little Diana and bring her to him. The fairies let the star take the infant, for they knew that no truly evil forces could control stars.  
  
The stars brought Diana back to Bink's home, and Bink looked into the eyes of the beautiful infant. She had wisps of violet hair and her eyes looked so dark and mysterious, yet she was a happy child, always gurgling and giggling her baby giggle. Bink wanted to keep her, to care for the child, but he knew that if he did so, then the baby would never fulfill her destiny. He had to give her away. But who was he to give her to? He needed to find a couple that would be able to give her a happy life, so she could live her childhood years like a normal little girl. Yet, she was a winged elf/harpy child, so she would not look completely human, so he needed to find a couple whom no matter what would conceal her heritage from her. For she would need to find it on her own, for she was the only of her species. Her mother Electra had been an elf/fairy crossbreed, so had gauzy fairy wings, but Diana had feathery wings as did her father. Those wings would never be known until she found out who she really was.  
  
Bink consulted the stars, and they led him to a couple that lived in the sheltered town of Lenore. Their names were Landon and Lea Chere, and they couldn't have children for some reason. Bink approached them holding Diana in his arms, and told them that this was an infant harpy/elf princess who needed parents, for hers had died. He said her name was to be Cat, and told them of Cat's destiny, and how it was vital that she not know of her true heritage until the proper time when she would discover it on her own. They accepted and took the child in, and then Bink went back to the Forest of the Elves to wait for the day of Diana's return.  
  
The scene blacked out, and they were back in Bink's observatory. "And here you are, Diana," Bink told Cat. Cat was confused. So her name wasn't really Cat. Her name was Diana. Her parents had been royalty that had escaped their homes. Her parents were dead . . . she was half elf, half harpy? What was her surname? She couldn't think, and tears were streaming down her cheeks.  
  
"What is my surname?" she asked Bink. Bink thought for a moment, trying to remember Hector Harpy's surname.  
  
"I don't remember your father's surname, but I remember your mother's maiden name," Bink offered. Cat nodded.  
  
"Anything will do," she said.  
  
Bink nodded and said, "Wingheart. You have the same surname as Adrian. I know it's strange, but it's nothing but the truth."  
  
Cat froze in disbelief, and so did Adrian. They shared the same last name, yet they weren't even of the same species. How could that be?  
  
"Don't waste time being muddled," said Bink. "Try out your wings. Just concentrate on the wings sprouting out of your back."  
  
Cat gave Bink a dubious look, but then shut her eyes and concentrated on feathers sprouting out of her back, and then when she opened her eyes, she had a large set of feathery wings. She tried flapping them, and caused a gust of wind.  
  
"Don't try them out here, you'll blow all my texts over!" fussed Bink, waving his hands at her. Cat turned his way. He seemed to know so much.  
  
"Thank you so much, Grandfather Bink!" she cried. "I'm going to change my name to Cat Diana Wingheart!"  
  
There was a flash of happiness in Bink's eyes. "Well, you are the Princess Diana," he said gruffly, turning away. "Go see your friends now. And when you come back, bring all of them with you. I want to speak with that Zaria girl." And with that, he stepped back up and shut his eyes, conversing with the stars internally.  
  
Cat and Adrian quietly exited the observatory. They had found out so many things about each other. They started down the hallway, and were startled to hear Bink's door being thrown open.  
  
"And when you bring your friends," Bink called, "bring them up on the elevator! Don't be foolish and attempt to fly up again! The button's somewhere in that bark on the ground!"  
  
The door promptly slammed shut. Cat and Adrian walked into the room that Terra was in to thank her.  
  
"Hello, dears!" she exclaimed, her face crinkling into a smile. "Oh dear, has Bink told you your true identity? You know who you really are now, right dear? Oh dear, oh dear, are you okay now, child? Here, come here and have some tea, dear. Would you like to stay the night, dear? It's a long way from here to anywhere, dear. Oh wait! You have your wings now, right, dear?"  
  
Cat smiled and nodded. "Thank you for everything, Terra, but I'll be fine, really! I have to go and see my friends now, but I promise I'll come visit you sometime real soon!"  
  
Terra opened her mouth to protest, but then decided not to and smiled softly at Cat.  
  
"Go, Princess Diana," she said. "Do what Bink told you, dear." Her soft, worn, smiling face startled Cat as she thought of how she had seen how Terra when she was young, how beautiful and soft-spoken she was.  
  
"Bye, Terra," she said, smiling, and then left the tree house with Adrian. They stepped out of the threshold and Cat spread her wings and pumped them gloriously.  
  
"I can't believe I can fly," she breathed. She pumped her wings some more, producing small drafts of wind. "I can really fly!" she shrieked with joy. Adrian smiled, and startled her by flying over to her side and taking her hand. He looked up into her dark eyes, so mysterious, yet so full of life.  
  
"Let's go see the others," he said softly, and led Cat back to Najida.  
  
* * *  
  
Fuuko fastened on her retractable claws, and checked the magic wind orb in it. "I'm set," she said.  
  
Zack nodded, and took his Apocalypse orb and stuck it in the spear. He turned to Breanna. She rolled her eyes. "You guys are acting like this is some sort of Mission Impossible thing!" she exclaimed. "Don't be so serious!" Fuuko put her claw of wind down. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just feel so stressed out . . . but I shouldn't care about my family anymore . . . it's not like they care about me . . . my real mother died anyway. The woman my father is married to now is not my real mother, and you saw how little my father cared about me. My siblings . . . they're selfish and spoiled too, except for Faye." Breanna's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Fuuko . . . but we'll go see Faye right after the mission! Right, Zack?" She turned to Zack.  
  
Zack nodded dynamically. "Yeah!"  
  
"And about your family," Breanna continued, "I didn't exactly have a great family life when I was young either. My parents didn't care about me much. They never cared about me, what I did, where I was, how I was. I could've run away and no one would notice. In fact, I did once. I came back, and my parents didn't know anything. They had been gone the whole time. Sometimes, when I was in my early teens, I would go out partying or doing stuff until three in the morning, yet they wouldn't care. I admit that they provided well for my material needs, but they never gave me any love, never gave me warmth or comfort, you know what I mean?"  
  
She stopped talking and sighed, shaking her head. "Life wasn't that great for me, as you can see. Look at me now."  
  
Zack was looking at Breanna in a new light. In all his life, he had never seen Breanna Cole talk about herself this way before.  
  
Fuuko smiled at Breanna sympathetically. She knew exactly how Breanna felt, except instead of being disregarded, she had been emotionally mistreated. She shook her memories out of her head and got up off the bed in the hotel room they were in. She then turned around to face Breanna and Zack.  
  
"Well," she began, "let's go and do what we came here to do, shall we?"  
  
* * *  
  
Zack stood, holding his spear in front of him. He concentrated on nothing but Apocalypse. Apocalypse. Apocalypse. A wave of energy burst out from his aura, making explosions in the sky. There were fireworks of every shade imaginable.  
  
All who were left in the building scattered out, coming to see the commotion. Zack turned and nodded to Breanna. Breanna turned and concentrated on the orb embedded in her glove, and yelled, "Quake!"  
  
Energy shot out from the orb and engulfed the building, breaking the earth beneath it, toppling the building over. Many people screamed and fled the site. No one dared approach Fuuko, Zack, or Breanna.  
  
Fuuko jumped in the air, riding on one of her wind vortexes. "Claw of Wind!" she shouted, and three long claws made of compressed wind formed on her Claw of Wind and stretched out very far. It took all of Fuuko's strength to lift the Claw of Wind and whip it around, creating a large tornado-like creation. The parts of the building were sucked up into it, and then were whirling around in the air. Zack then used his Apocalypse to blast it into nothingness, and then fell down, on his knees, very tired, for he had used up much of his energy.  
  
Breanna reached into her knapsack and took out a small potion consisting of water that Zaria had charged with curative magic. Zaria had left them with a large supply of the substance, for it was like healing elixir, except much cheaper.  
  
Breanna passed the potion to Zack, who gulped it down quickly. He could feel the healing magic coursing throughout his body, restoring him. He gratefully thanked Breanna. "Let's get out of here now," he said forcefully, for some people had started coming towards the three with angry looks on their faces. Fuuko created three wind vortexes and the three jumped on them and air-surfed out of Nakano. Fuuko looked back, and a tear fell from her eye.  
  
"Off to Mydele!" Breanna said cheerfully. They rode the vortexes into the distance, heading towards Mydele, where Fuuko could finally see her beloved Faye.  
  
* * *  
  
Zaria drew back from Zeth's embrace. "Zeth, it's really you," she declared with tears in her eyes. He remembered. She had truly been reunited with Zeth. She had waited for sixty years for this day, to see the one she loved again. Zeth had the same smile as he had sixty years ago, the same smile he had been wearing on the day that they had been parted.  
  
Zeth looked blithe and cheerful, but he also seemed very languid. Recovering all those memories must have been exhausting. Zaria took a bottle of healing elixir that she had made out of her bag and handed it to Zeth.  
  
"Here, drink this." Zeth took the bottle and sipped some of it, cherishing any concoction that Zaria had made. This was so like the old times, when he would get injured and she would take care of him, and vice versa. Those times were the times that had made him care for Zaria even more, for it showed that no matter how ditzy, klutzy, or silly she sometimes seemed, she cared for others.  
  
But what were they to do now? That was the one question on both of their minds. They had been reunited, but what next? Neither of them knew what to do. Neither of them knew what to say, now that they had found each other.  
  
"Zeth, I missed you so much," Zaria began, her eyes watering again. "You don't know how long sixty years of waiting is unless you actually wait that long.you don't know how many times I've gone to the place we promised and waited for you, wondering if you would be there."  
  
"I'm sorry, Zaria," Zeth said, giving her his handkerchief, "but at least now, we're together again, and I will never leave and will always be your bodyguard.all in exchange for a date," he concluded impishly, his aqua eyes sparkling.  
  
A radiant smile appeared on Zaria's face, making her even more resplendent. "All right. Then let's go to The Platinum Belt!" she exclaimed happily. The Platinum Belt was an amusement park that was all built in is a belt-like structure. It was the most renowned place in the whole continent of Nova.  
  
Zeth enthusiastically agreed and started to pack up his and Zaria's belongings.  
  
"Wait, not yet," exclaimed Zaria. "Let's wait to go to the Platinum Belt when we have all our friends with us! For now, let's go to Mydele and see how everyone back home is doing, and maybe get a more proficient mode of transportation than walking, and then we'll go to Najida and meet the others. Then, we can all go to Mage together! I mean, even though we've finally found each other, and it's really nice to spend time alone, I want to tell everyone about us! I'm sure Vincent will understand. Anyway, going to Mage will be an experience that everyone should experience. It's a very spiritual place, and once the eight warriors are gathered there, it is said that many signs will appear. So first we should go and find all eight warriors! So let's go to Mydele now!"  
  
"All right, all right," Zeth said in a rankled tone, putting all the stuff he was carrying down again.  
  
"No! Don't!" said Zaria thrusting her hand out in a "no" gesture.  
  
"What now?" complained Zeth, dropping the rest of what he had been holding and giving Zaria an annoyed look.  
  
"Hee hee," Zaria said, a little smile pasted on her face. "We're going to Mydele now, so pack everything up!" she said gleefully and started prancing ahead, laughing.  
  
Zeth, being very much annoyed, grabbed all their belongings and started following Zaria. That girl could exasperate him so much!  
  
Yet . . . the way that she exasperated him . . . it was the same way that she had done during the war every single day. It was one of her endearing faults that although irked him, made him love Zaria even more. She could always bring a smile to his face, no matter how disheartening the situation they were in. He ran to catch up to Zaria, and they headed towards Mydele.  
  
  
  
  
  
All seems happy, doesn't it? The tone of the story is still light, just keep reading and you'll get to the heavy parts. Thanks! Please review especially if you want updates! 


	5. Chapter 05 Seventh Heaven

Lots of character development again.keep reading, and please review!  
  
  
  
Seventh Heaven  
  
"It's great to be back home!" Zack exclaimed. "Can't wait to go see my old man, he must be worried sick about me! Bree, why don't you take Fuuko to your place for now and I'll meet you there in about half an hour, okay? I need to go spend time with my dad, 'cause I just left with no notice and he's probably fumin' mad outta his mind now," Zack jabbered, and dashed in the direction of his house.  
  
Breanna motioned for Fuuko to follow her, and led Fuuko to her mansion, which was at the edge of the small metropolis of Mydele, and right next to a tavern. Maybe that was part of the reason that Breanna had ended up as a bartender, Fuuko thought, because by the looks of Breanna's mansion, it seemed like her parents had enough money so that Breanna wouldn't need employment.  
  
It was a large house, almost as lavish as Fuuko's own, except that it was all made of bricks, as was every other structure in Mydele. As they entered, Breanna turned to Fuuko. "My parents won't be here," she said wryly, "they're never here. I virtually raised myself, you see."  
  
Fuuko completely identified with her. After all, wealth couldn't buy happiness or love.  
  
"We'll be staying in Mydele tonight, so you can sleep in the guest room," said Breanna, opening the door to a bedroom and gesturing for Fuuko to go in.  
  
"There's a bathroom and all, so you can freshen up and stuff and I'll come and get you in fifteen minutes," Breanna said, and closed the door and left.  
  
Meanwhile, Zack had gone back to his own house. As he approached the front door, he could hear his father bustling about doing chores around the house. He braced himself for the reprimanding he was in for, and entered his residence. His father heard him enter and turned around to face him. Zack was shocked to see that his father looked worn and disheveled, not at all like his energetic, spirited self. His father's enervated face broke into a strained smile, as if he hadn't the strength. He had never seen Ash Strife looking so worn-out in his entire life.  
  
"Oh, Zack, I was so worried! Where were you, son?"  
  
"Dad! What happened to you?" Zack asked in dismay, running over to his father.  
  
His father looked at him. "I'm so glad you're all right, son. Where did you go?"  
  
"Don't answer my question with a question!" Zack demanded. "What happened to you?"  
  
Ash looked at his feet. "I thought you were dead, Zack. I felt like I hadn't fulfilled my responsibility as a father to you, so you ran away, and something happened to you. I guess I started neglecting myself. Your mother is gone . . . then you disappeared . . . I didn't know what to do with myself. I kept on asking myself, why didn't I take care of Elle and Zack well enough?"  
  
Zack stared at his father. Saying that he had neglected himself was an understatement. He hadn't looked this frail since the day his mother had died.  
  
Zack led his father to the sofa and helped him sit down, and then plopped down by his father. "Dad, I didn't run away. I had to go on a mission with Miss Zaria; you remember her, right? She was rejuvenated, and now I made some new friends. We're on a very important mission, a mission that concerns the welfare of the entire planet. I promise you, Dad, that I will come back and live with you and keep you company in your old age. Nothing will happen to me. I can take care of myself. After all, I inherited the wonderful Strife combat skills, right Dad?" Zack said impishly.  
  
Color returned to his father's face, and he looked reanimated. "Well!" he sighed. "So there is a rational explanation for all of this @#$% that I was so worried about," he said, relieved.  
  
"Yeah, Dad, don't worry too much," said Zack, giving his father a soft smile. "Have faith! After all, you were the one who taught me how to fight, and you're the best," he said proudly.  
  
Mr. Strife smiled. "Yeah, and when you come back, I wouldn't mind you bringing a woman. There needs to be some children in this house! I want to hear the sound of loud little creatures running about making mischief, because after all, you were pretty loud yourself, son!" he said, laughing. Then his eyes turned yearning. "Yes, Elle always wanted to have grandchildren running around the house."  
  
Zack smiled, gazing at his father with tears in his eyes. "I love you, Dad," he said.  
  
"I love ya too, son," replied Mr. Strife. "Elle would be damn proud of the man you have become."  
  
"Finished, Fuuko?" Breanna called from outside the door.  
  
"Almost," Fuuko replied, and she quickly dried herself off with a towel and donned shorts and a shirt. At least she didn't have to wear her armor here. Today she would go see Faye. Was she ready? She didn't know, but she knew that she missed her sister more than anything in the world.  
  
She opened the door and stepped out. Breanna was tapping her foot on the ground brusquely. "Wow," Fuuko said when she saw what Breanna was wearing.  
  
"Exactly where are we going, Breanna?" Fuuko asked askance.  
  
Breanna raised her eyebrows. "Just hanging around. Why?"  
  
Why? Why? How could she ask why? Fuuko thought. She looked like she was ready to stay out all night in her tight leather miniskirt, black boots and tight white tank top. She looked like she intended to pay a visit to Werin.  
  
"Nothing," Fuuko muttered in reply. What Breanna wanted to wear was her business, and no one else's. Fuuko had no right to criticize, especially after Breanna had been so sympathetic and understanding to her earlier.  
  
"We're going to the tavern to wait for Zack," Breanna said, skipping down the stairs.  
  
Fuuko grimaced and followed Breanna. Inside the tavern the atmosphere was musty and dim. Fuuko wrinkled her nose in repugnance and sat down at a table by herself while Breanna went to socialize with tough looking people, people whom Fuuko never usually went near.  
  
She sat there, watching people get intoxicated, play pool, and talk. It was really fatuous. When was Zack going to get there? She really wanted to see Faye. She remembered the night that Faye had left home.it had been a dark stormy night. Fuuko's father had been very violent and had been spewing insults at Faye. Fuuko could still recall that event in detail.  
  
"Why have I been cursed to have such an insolent child as one of my offspring?" Fuuko's father howled at Faye. Faye's face was stony. Fuuko cringed. The whole town was probably hearing all the clamor going on in the Takano mansion, but no one would do a thing, for no one would dare do anything against President Takano's wishes. How could such a callous man be president? Especially the president of such a prestigious town, such as Nakano. Even though he was her father, Fuuko loathed President Takano. He emotionally abused Fuuko and Faye, and treated his other three daughters like princesses.  
  
Probably because they were such two-faced suck ups, thought Fuuko in abhorrence. Fuujin and Finn were fair of face but vile of heart, and while in front of their father they were obedient, agreeable girls, when they were away from him they were the most sordid creatures imaginable. Yukiko was all right; although since she wasn't Fuuko's full sister they didn't communicate much.  
  
"I never want to see your face again! Do not call me father! Unless you change your depraved ways, you shall be exempt from the Takano family name!" Fuuko's father bellowed, his face turning tomato red. Faye gave him an hateful look and ran upstairs to her room. Fuuko ran up after her.  
  
"You defile your sister's mind!" yelled President Takano up at Faye, but she ignored him. She ran into her room, slammed the door, and Fuuko could hear the creaking of bedsprings and then muffled sobs. Fuuko quietly opened the door. "Faye?" she called her sister.  
  
Faye lifted her tear-stained face from her pillow. "Oh, Fuuko," Faye said, and a fresh batch of tears came pouring out. "I'm so sorry that you have to see this at such a young age."  
  
"Faye, just ignore Father, and I'll take care of you," Fuuko said, concerned. Faye smiled through her tears. "Thank you, Fuuko," she whispered. "I'm going to run away from all this, and one day I'm going to come back and get you. When I can, I will come back and get you, Fuuko."  
  
Fuuko silently watched while her older sister packed an overnight bag and put on her raincoat. "You're leaving now, in the rain?" Fuuko asked. Faye nodded.  
  
"Yes. Fuuko, promise me that you won't tell anyone that I ran away. Okay?" Fuuko nodded obediently.  
  
Faye had left Nakano forever on that stormy night and Fuuko had kept her promise, even though she had been thrashed, and deprived of supper for many, many nights. Fuuko had waited, waited for four years for Faye to come and get her. But Faye never came.  
  
Fuuko eyes clouded over. She had loved her sister so much, and she had never broken her promise. But why did Faye break her promise to Fuuko, the promise that she would come to get Fuuko? It didn't matter now, but whenever Fuuko thought of that, it made her even sadder, to think that the person she looked up to most in the world had not cared enough to come and get her, to whisk her away from the inferno she had to call home. If she hadn't found out about Arrow, Fuuko was sure that by now she would have either killed herself or run away somewhere else, ending up with a fate worse than death. Yet here she was, completely unprepared, about to meet her sister for the first time in seven years.  
  
She looked up abruptly and saw Zack, a wide smile on his face. "Hey Fuuko," he greeted. "Where's Breanna?"  
  
Fuuko pointed in the direction of the bar broodingly. Zack looked at where she was pointing and laughed. "She's occupied, I can see. Let's go see Faye now. Is that okay with you?"  
  
Fuuko slowly nodded, and followed Zack out of the pub. He led her down the street. It was evening now, and the sun was setting. The purples and pinks in the sky were breathtakingly magnificent, but at the moment Fuuko just couldn't bring herself to appreciate the beauty of the world. She kept her eyes cast down and answered Zack's questions with one-syllable words.  
  
Zack gave her a withering look. "Look, if you don't want to go today, then that's fine with me. We can go tomorrow morning," he said, sounding slightly annoyed.  
  
Fuuko shook her head and forced a smile on her face, concealing her anxieties. What she really wanted to say was that she didn't want to go at all, yet she wanted to see Faye. "I want to go now," she managed to say. Zack pursed his lips, nodded and then kept on walking. His mood seemed to have darkened considerably. Fuuko saw this and felt a wave of solace go through her. She ran to catch up with him, and grabbed him arm and turned him around to face her.  
  
"Zack, I'm really sorry," she said, looking up at him eloquently. "I can't believe I'm treating you so heartlessly, especially after how wonderful and protecting you've been towards me, but I'm just really nervous," she admitted. "My whole life, I've been used to having people not care about me and me not caring about them, and this is the first time that I actually care about someone, and they care about me, so I just don't know how to handle it well. I'm sorry."  
  
A small hesitant smile appeared on Zack's face. "Hey, I don't mind he said, waving it off. "At least I got you to talk again," he said grinning impishly. He continued to walk, and Fuuko followed him. She still felt nervous, but talking to Zack had released a lot of the tension and stress that had been weighing her thoughts down earlier.  
  
As they approached Faye's door, Fuuko's heart began beating faster and faster. Zack reached up and knocked on the wooden door, and Fuuko could hear footsteps. She was about to see Faye's face any second.  
  
Surprisingly, a very tall, very slender yet broad-shouldered young man with ebony hair and a burn scar underneath his eye opened the door. He was very handsome, and his scar gave him a unique kind of attractiveness.  
  
"Hi Hyde," Zack said cheerfully. A small smile appeared on the guy's face and he greeted Zack. His eyes wandered over to Fuuko. "So Zack, who is this enchanting lady? I see you've found yourself a girlfriend, am I correct?"  
  
Zack actually blushed, and he shook his head vigorously. "No, no, this is not my girlfriend. This is Fuuko Takano, and she's here to see Faye."  
  
The man turned around to Fuuko and raised his eyebrows. "Well, hello Fuuko, I'm Hyde. Please come in."  
  
He opened the door wide for Fuuko and Zack to go in. He then shut the door softly and walked ahead of Fuuko and Zack. "Follow me," he said.  
  
Fuuko and Zack walked after him, and Fuuko leaned over to Zack and asked the question that had been vexing her the moment she saw Hyde. "Who is Hyde?" she whispered forcefully.  
  
Zack raised his eyebrows, a surprised expression on his face as if he couldn't remember that he had never told Fuuko about Hyde. "Um, Hyde is Faye's husband," he said meekly. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you."  
  
"Well, thanks for leaving out that tiny little detail," Fuuko said, shaking her head.  
  
"Please forgive me," Zack pleaded with a ludicrous grin on his face.  
  
Fuuko couldn't help but smile and then nodded and kept on walking after Hyde. Hyde led them into the living room. Faye was lying on the sofa, taking a nap. Fuuko stood there, in awe, seeing the sister that she had been waiting for seven years to see, while Hyde went over and woke her up. Faye slowly opened her eyes and sat up and yawned.  
  
Tears streamed out of Fuuko's eyes. It was her sister, her beloved, beautiful sister sitting right in front of her. Faye was exactly the way she had looked seven years ago, just like a teenager, with her light brown, long, beautiful hair, her long bangs, and her bright cerulean eyes, the same eyes that Fuuko had. She was wearing a light green turtleneck long- sleeved shirt and a mid-calf length pleated skirt. She shifted her radiant eyes to Fuuko, and they widened. Faye gasped and stood up. "Fuuko, is that you?" she asked in amazement.  
  
"Faye," Fuuko sobbed, her nose and eyes all red, her cheeks covered with tears.  
  
Faye started to cry, and ran over and hugged Fuuko tightly. "Fuuko!" she cried. "I can't believe it's you.after all these years.I never went back and got you.I'm so sorry, Fuuko."  
  
Faye grabbed Fuuko's shoulders and gently pushed Fuuko back so she could get a good look at her. "You're so beautiful," she said through her tears, and she wiped a tear away from Fuuko's cheek.  
  
Zack smiled at the sisterly reunion they were sharing. He turned to look at Hyde, and saw that his eyes were shining as well. Hyde caught his gaze and motioned that they should leave the room. Zack followed Hyde out of the room into the kitchen.  
  
In the meantime, Faye and Fuuko were still crying.  
  
"Sit down," Faye said, and they both sat down on the couch. Faye looked into Fuuko's eyes. "Fuuko, you don't know how much I wanted to come and get you," she began. "But I knew that you would somehow find your way out of there, and here you are," Faye said, smiling through her tears.  
  
"I never thought I'd see you again," Fuuko whispered. Faye smiled at Fuuko. "I'm here now, and I'll always be here for you now, Fuuko. If you ever need anything, come here, you understand? I will always take care of you."  
  
Fuuko nodded, smiling. Faye's smile turned into a roguish grin. "So Fuuko, how did you meet Zack?" she asked. "I used to take care of him when he was younger."  
  
"I work with the anti-government organization Arrow," Fuuko said, "and one day I just happened to have an assignment with Zack. We had an assignment in Nakano. I went to see our father, and he threw me out of the house. I almost wasn't able to complete the assignment, but Zack helped me get through it, and he's been special to me ever since," Fuuko finished, smiling.  
  
Faye had a sly look on her face. "Someone special, I see," she said knowingly.  
  
Fuuko blushed and then turned the tables on Faye. "How did you meet Hyde?" she asked surreptitiously. "And, how did you end up becoming Mrs. Faye Kurenai?"  
  
A sweet smile appeared on Faye's lips, and her expression turned dreamy. She began talking softly, her eyes full of life.  
  
"When I left home, at first I didn't know where to go. I was lost. I wandered aimlessly, searching for a place I could call home. I wanted to find a nice place to live quickly, so maybe I could come and get you. I happened to stumble into the town of Werin, and I'm sure you know how notorious Werin is. It's not a good place for any female. Anyway, I was wandering around there, and a middle-aged man, about our father's age, named Kieran Marx found me. He was very kind and offered to adopt me. I was ignorant and in desperate need of shelter, so I accepted. Kieran Marx took me to his home, and I found that he had also adopted another child, but this child had been adopted at the age of six. This child was a boy, one year older than I was. He was Hyde. Back during those days, Hyde never smiled. All the servants whispered about him, and I happened to overhear. They said that ever since he had been brought to the Marx Mansion, he had never smiled, not even once. At the time, I just avoided Hyde."  
  
Fuuko could just imagine what happened, as Faye told the story, projecting her memory to Fuuko.  
  
The young Faye stood in the garden of the Marx Mansion, picking roses. All the servants agreed that no one was better suited for roses than Faye, and Faye loved the roses very much. She tended to them everyday, and some days she gathered them in baskets. Hyde was observing her from the corner of the garden, leaning against the marble column, arms crossed over his chest. He always watched Faye, never uttering a word, never showing any sign of emotion. Sometimes it intimidated her, but she tried to disregard him, even though he seemed to follow her around like a shadow. On that day, she had been walking back to her room with bunches of roses in her arms, holding them tenderly, as if they were living creatures who needed warmth and comfort.  
  
"Why do you care about those roses so much? They're just stupid flowers," Hyde said harshly one day.  
  
Faye gaped at him. Hyde had never spoken to her before, even on the day she had arrived at the Marx Mansion.  
  
She looked down at the roses in her arms. "Well, I treasure these roses. They are beautiful, and they symbolize love," she explained.  
  
"Love is ridiculous," Hyde scoffed. "Who needs it?" He reached out and knocked the roses out of Faye's arms, and rose petals were scattered everywhere, hovering in the air. Faye was appalled and enraged so she took her free arm and slapped his face solidly. He put his hand on his cheek and gave her a baffled look.  
  
"Love is not ridiculous!" Faye admonished sternly. "Everyone needs love, even spiteful rogues like you!"  
  
Hyde stood there, absorbing her words. His lips curved up slightly. A small smile appeared on his lips and it broadened. All the servants who were nearby during the scene gawked at Hyde in sheer awe. This was the first time that Hyde had an expression other than disdain on his face. Faye was shocked to see Hyde smile, but a small smile appeared on her face as well. The rose petals still hovered in the air around them, perhaps symbolizing the beginning of love.  
  
"Faye . . . " said Hyde, "you're different from the other fierce, hypocritical creatures of this world . . . you're refined and honorable, and need to be safeguarded from the evil of this world. You're too pure and gentle to fight them. I promise you one thing. I promise you I will never kill you, even if I become the maddest assassin in the entire world. I will never harm you."  
  
Faye was taken aback, but she simply smiled at Hyde and handed a rose to him.  
  
"Thank you," she replied simply.  
  
From then on, whenever Hyde was near Faye, he had a smile on his face, and she had a smile on hers. There was a lot of talk about them, and the gossip reached the ears of Kieran Marx, and he was enraged, for he actually was a man with an evil heart, and he had been raising Hyde to be a heartless assassin. He had only brought Faye into his home to test the frigidity of Hyde's heart, and it seemed like Hyde had failed the test. He would have to get rid of Faye and start over, this time truly transforming Hyde into a vengeful demoniac.  
  
As soon as Kieran Marx had returned from his business trip, he brought his henchmen and confronted Faye and Hyde.  
  
"Hyde!" he shouted grimly. "You have failed me!" He instructed his henchmen to beat Hyde. They started kicking him and punching him, and he doubled over in pain. Two henchmen seized Faye by each arm and held her back, but when she saw Hyde being attacked so cruelly, she could take it no more. She wrenched herself out of the henchmen's grasp and ran over to Hyde. She threw her body over his, shielding him, holding him in her arms.  
  
"Please, don't hurt him anymore!" she cried. "If you must beat anybody, then beat me!"  
  
Kieran Marx was even more enraged at this act of tenderness from Faye towards Hyde. "Hyde!" he boomed, his pupils shrinking. "You have become weak! You have allowed yourself to become vulnerable! You have allowed yourself to LOVE!" he spat.  
  
Hyde managed to sit up, still in great pain. "NO!" he rasped. "I have not become weak, father!"  
  
Kieran Marx sneered. "Then why is it that you still care for this girl? The only one who ever brought a smile to the rigid face!" he said mockingly, brutally striking Hyde in the side. Faye cried out as if she were the one in agony and held him tightly to her. "Stop, please!" she cried, but it was to no avail.  
  
"No," Hyde repeated feebly, his voice becoming smaller.  
  
"If you have not become weak, then prove it to me! Kill the girl now!" Kieran Marx shouted. "Kill her with your bare hands! Cut off her breath with your own fingers, feel the life being drawn out of her!  
  
Hyde had been panting and huffing, and when he heard Kieran Marx's orders, his eyes widened and his pulse quickened. "But Father!" he yelled. "I do not need to kill her to show that I have not weakened," he protested. "Please, don't make me hurt anyone right now, please..." he begged.  
  
"Kill her or I shall kill her myself, you sniveling fool!" Kieran Marx shouted hysterically. All the servants looked on in horror, wondering whom Hyde would choose. They knew the one he truly cared for was Faye.but no one ever dared go against Kieran Marx's wishes.  
  
Hyde took out his dagger and looked at Faye in the eye, and at first Faye drew back in fear, thinking he would actually kill her, but as she kept her eyes locked on his she managed to fathom the true meaning of his gaze. He was not going to kill her. He wouldn't harm her. He had promised her that. He came close to her and put his dagger on her neck, and put his lips by her ear.  
  
"Faye," he whispered. "Run away. Go far from here, and never return. I will not kill you because . . . I . . . just can't. Go and live happily and forget me, forget all that has happened here. Go, Faye."  
  
Tears were streaming down Faye's cheeks, and Kieran Marx had a satisfied look on his face, thinking that Faye was weeping because her beloved Hyde was uttering threats to her.  
  
"Go!" Hyde whispered firmly. He pushed her away roughly, and after looking at him one last time, openly wailing now, she got up and ran, ran out of the Marx Mansion.  
  
She looked back one more time to see Kieran Marx shrieking in rage, grasping Hyde by the hair and flinging him down onto the ground. He took a match and set it alight then tossed it on the ground, and the flame scorched Hyde's face. Even more tears streamed down her cheeks. Hyde, her Hyde was getting hurt. But then, she had to do what he told her.  
  
Maybe she was only following his orders out of selfishness, but she followed them. She ran out into the streets of Werin, screaming for help.  
  
Police ran into the Marx Mansion, and Faye promptly left the city. She stopped by the outskirts of Werin, fell down to her knees, and sobbed sorrowfully. She hoped Hyde somehow was all right.  
  
She traveled around the continent, seeking to uncover a peaceful village to live in, a place where she could forget all that had happened to her. She finally settled down in Mydele and got a job selling supplies to the travelers who often passed through Mydele. She changed her surname to Kurenai, which had been Hyde's authentic surname, although Kieran Marx had adopted him. In her free time, she took care of the child next door, Zack Strife, who was about the same age as her dearest younger sister, Fuuko. She tried so adamantly to disremember, but she couldn't forget about Hyde. Sometimes she would just sit and begin weeping, and little Zack would come up to her and innocently ask her what was wrong. She could never tell anyone what had happened, but she just regretted that she hadn't gone back to Hyde on that day. Why, why hadn't she gone back to him? It showed that she was being selfish, and now she didn't even know if he was alive or dead.  
  
She was alone like that for a few years, but then one day there was a soft knock on her door, a knock so soft she scarcely could hear it. She got up and answered the door, and there was Hyde, who had grown considerably. He had a burn scar beneath his eye.  
  
"H-Hyde," she breathed, stumbling on the name she had so yearned to utter for so long. She stood there staring at him, and tears of rapture streamed down her cheeks.  
  
"Faye," Hyde murmured, and embraced her closely. She cried onto his shoulder, her tears soaking Hyde's shirt. They had found each other again at last.  
  
"He had been searching for me all over the continent after he had managed to escape from Kieran Marx," Faye continued, "although it took him many years of incessant pursuit, he found me in Mydele at last. We got married soon after that and we have been here ever since," she finished, smiling.  
  
Fuuko's eyes were glistening with tears. The story was so . . . sad, yet it had a happy ending. Her sister had been through so much to be happy, and it seemed like Faye was truly blissful now.  
  
"Faye, you're so fortunate to have someone that cared about you enough to search for you like that," she finally managed to say.  
  
Faye nodded. "Yes, and now you can reside with us if you want, Fuuko," she said. "You'll always be welcome in this home."  
  
Fuuko had a gentle smile on her face, a genuine smile, a smile that made her intense blue eyes soften.  
  
"Well, so, Fuuko!" Faye said, her eyes sparkling. "What have you been doing lately? Did I hear something about a mission?"  
  
Fuuko twisted her fingers in her lap. "Well, I am in the anti- government group Arrow, if you've heard of it," she said demurely, "and I'm going to be traveling with Zaria Locke, the girl who the government is after. She is said to be the key person in destroying the Black Hole project."  
  
"Zaria Locke," Faye nodded, "yes, I knew her as an elderly lady that I could always rely on. She's been rejuvenated, yes?"  
  
Fuuko bit her lip and nodded. "I haven't seen her, but I know she's a very likable person. There is also another person from her generation named Zeth Lanier who has been stuck in a time warp for sixty years, so he hasn't aged at all. He and Zaria seem to have known each other from way back."  
  
"Yes," Faye agreed, "Zaria did use to talk about her lost beloved who had supposedly died a very long time ago. I felt so bad for her. I only wish I could see her in her youth."  
  
"Maybe Zaria will come here after visiting the city of Mage, you know, the city that the war originated in," Fuuko wondered aloud.  
  
Faye glanced at her. "That would be delightful," she said. "It would be great to see how Zaria is now."  
  
They stopped talking, for they heard a loud knocking at the door. Faye looked perplexed. "I wonder who that is," she said, her eyebrows furrowed. "Nobody comes by at this time."  
  
She got up and went to answer the door.  
  
"Oh, hello! Hello, hello, come on in! I can't believe it's you! Come in, come in and have a seat . . . oh really? Is that so? How wonderful!" Fuuko heard. There were footsteps and Faye reentered the room, along with two other people.  
  
"Fuuko, this is Zaria and Zeth," Faye said, a wide smile on her face. She turned to Zaria. "I don't believe you've met my sister Fuuko. She works with the Arrow establishment as well, and she's been traveling with Zack! I think you guys will be traveling together for some time."  
  
Fuuko stood up. Finally, she got to meet the famed Zaria Locke. "Hello, Zaria, hello, Zeth," she said affably with a pleasant smile on her face. "Hi, Fuuko," said an effervescent Zaria. "Hey, doesn't your name mean child of wind or something?"  
  
Fuuko nodded, surprised that Zaria would know something like that. "Yes, in fact. I also have the ability to use the Claw of Wind and generate any kind of wind formation by magic. How did you know?"  
  
Zaria smiled. "Well, I've lived for a long time, so I had plenty of time to study astrology, and look at many magic and legendary texts," she said.  
  
Fuuko turned to Zeth. "Are you Zaria's long lost love?" she asked bluntly. Zeth's face grew heated and he looked down at his feet.  
  
"If that's what Zaria wants me to be known as, then yes," he said softly.  
  
Fuuko whistled and turned to Zaria. "He's so adorable!" she exclaimed. Zaria turned to Zeth, blushing. Faye laughed. "Fuuko, stop embarrassing them," she chastised. She turned to Zaria. "Zaria, you look great!" she exclaimed. Zaria smiled. "I don't really think so, and Zeth here, has seen me at my worst," she said coyly, turning to Zeth and whacking him on the back.  
  
"Tell them, Zeth," she said in a throaty voice that was quite uncharacteristic. "Tell them how I look in the morning."  
  
Zeth face was steaming, and he looked down at his feet.  
  
"."  
  
Faye and Fuuko laughed again. "Sit down, Zeth and Zaria," Faye said, making a place for them on the couch. Zaria sat down but Zeth remained standing.  
  
"Zeth! Is that you?" Zack shouted as he entered the room. "I thought I heard you come in! When did you get here?"  
  
He strode over to Zeth and whacked him soundly on the back. Zeth rubbed his back, his face pinched into a grimace. Why was everyone whacking him?  
  
Zack laughed and pulled Hyde over. "Zeth, this is Hyde, Faye's significant other. Hyde, this is Zeth, I told you about him."  
  
Once they had all finished their introductions they decided to leave Faye's house and go back to Zaria's residence to have an Arrow conference.  
  
Zaria volunteered to go retrieve Breanna at the tavern, and Zack insisted on going with her. Zeth went to Zaria's house with Fuuko.  
  
"Zack, something amazing happened," Zaria started as they walked towards the pub.  
  
Zack gave her a sly glance. "Zeth remembered, didn't he," he said. Zaria turned to him with a flabbergasted look on her face.  
  
"How did you know?" she demanded. Zack laughed.  
  
"Zaria, I knew just by looking at you two! You two didn't look like the two confused strangers who had started on a journey together anymore, you two looked like a couple that has known and loved each other for a long time. So long . . . that it seems like . . . well, I don't know . . ." he trailed off, a smirk on his face.  
  
"What? What?" Zaria screeched, scratching Zack on the arm. Zack pulled away.  
  
"If I tell you, you'll kill me," he protested honestly. Zaria glared at him.  
  
"Zack, you're pretty much running that risk either way, so mind your own business!" she screeched, clawing at him.  
  
"Peace, peace!" Zack exclaimed, putting his hands up in the air. His expression turned serious. "But somehow, it feels strange for me to call you Zaria. I'm so used to calling you Miss Zaria. I'm used to seeing you as an elderly, humorous, yet wise woman whom anyone could confide in, and seek help from. It feels strange seeing you in your old-fashioned fighting clothes walking around with Zeth with his old-fashioned fighting clothes . . . I mean, since he and I are friends and all. Don't you feel that way?"  
  
Zaria's expression became placid and she turned towards Zack, a soft smile on her lips. "I'm nevertheless the Zaria you have known, regardless of age," she said simply. "I know you, you know me, isn't that enough, Zack?"  
  
Zack looked at his feet. "I guess . . . the appearance thing really is kind of startling, though. I mean, you're a lot prettier than I thought you would be!" he teased. Zaria reached over and smacked him on the head.  
  
The silly grin left Zack's face, and was replaced by his previous serious disposition. "But I'm glad that you're have a great guy like Zeth to take care of you. You two really go well."  
  
Zaria's mood instantaneously brightened. "I know," she said flagrantly. "Although sometimes I feel like I'm not worthy of him. Even though he does have his faults, I feel like the goodness of my soul does not equal his, and I'm afraid that I will somehow bring harm to him." Her expression darkened. "And before he never let me forget that he's five years older than me. Sometimes I felt like such an immature child around him."  
  
Zack patted her back sympathetically. "Zaria, you may think that, but if Thanatos himself were to come down and measure the goodness in each of our souls, yours wouldn't be any lesser than anyone else. You are blessed, you know," he said, a half-smile on his face. "To have a love as genuine as that."  
  
She nodded, and then looked up and beamed at Zack. "Is there someone in your life, Zack? Someone who perhaps uses the power of wind?"  
  
Zack's face instantly flushed. "What in the world are you talking about, Miss Zaria?" he said quickly, too quickly.  
  
Zaria laughed. "Zack, I do know a lot of astrology, and the stars know all. They know past, present, and future, so they certainly know whom the Wind warrior is. And I can tell that the Apocalypse and Wind are somehow drawn to each other.like a moth is drawn to a flame.it's mutual. Anyhow, I can see right through you, Zack. Ever since you were little, I could tell whether you liked a girl or not. Let's see, there was Jade, Ruby, Pearl, Crystal, and Garnet.hey Zack, when did you break off the chain of girls who had precious gem names?"  
  
Zack gave her a withering look. "Okay, I know that first part about astrology was all fabrication." Zaria shrugged in response.  
  
"If it works, it works. Anyways, the part about all those girls was true."  
  
"Zaria." he whined.  
  
"Personally, I liked Garnet the best. She was certainly the prettiest, and I think the one with the finest personality, almost like royalty.do you still keep touch with her? I'd like to talk to her sometime. Come to think of it, does she still live in Mydele?"  
  
"Whatever," he said, shaking his head. Then he stopped and looked up thoughtfully. "Zaria, do you think that you can explain this Warrior stuff, and explain what each magic element does? I really want to know. Tell me everything about it."  
  
Zaria's eyes widened in mock surprise. "You, out of all people, want to know," she said dubiously. He nodded. She sighed. "Yeah, I'll tell you." They plopped down on a bench outside the tavern and Zaria took a deep breath.  
  
"First, I'm going to explain how I got into astrology. Over the years, I didn't have that much to do, so I had plenty of time to study astrology and other mysteries of the universe. I felt like I was wasting my life, so I might as well gain some knowledge that might someday be useful. I considered taking the youth elixir, but then I thought why waste such valuable elixir just to prolong my ennui with life? There was not much point, and there are and will be more knowledgeable people in this world. I had planned to bestow the elixir upon one who I thought worthy, and that person was probably going to be you. Before I saw you as a child who would grow up to be a warrior, a warrior with a virtuous heart who would be able to make the right choices about things. Now I see you in different eyes, I see you as a peer, an equal, as a fellow warrior whom I can confide in as a friend. Anyway, I began studying the stars more and more, trying to find answers about life. Of course, I tried to see if the stars knew anything about Zeth, but that information was obstructed, it was as if there was a dark clouding covering that area so I could not see it. It was as if I was not supposed to know. I guess that is so, for the stars are very wise, and they know all. What they choose to reveal to us humans through constellations and other things is their decision. Sometimes, they grant the gift of knowledge to people, to people like me. These people have to spread the knowledge to those who must know, those like you, Zeth, and the others. The stars can see into the future, have seen many of the alternate scenarios, so they do whatever they can to keep the universe in balance, to keep every creature, animate or inanimate, content. That's why we all still exist.  
  
"After the years, I deciphered a message, a message that was a cry for help. There would be disaster from a human creation. That creation would be a black hole in the universe, and it would cause many imbalances, for many things would end up where they are not supposed to be. Later on, I heard that the Toki government was planning to do a Black Hole project, making it by using magic, very powerful magic, so powerful that no one creature may wield it alone. I then knew what the stars had been saying. Yet, that was not to be the biggest threat. Of course, there would be many menacing and powerful creatures that would travel through the black hole, which would cause oscillations in the entire cosmos. Even though the Toki government thinks that with their efficacious magic they can prohibit such creatures from entering, they won't be able to, for these creatures will be powerful beyond the control of that magic. Many magic powers put together are the only force that may prevent them from destroying the world. The greatest threat of all would be waiting in another planet, far, far from here. So far, it could even possibly be in another dimension. There is only one way to keep this planet from falling under the control of some other force that is not Mother Earth. It would be to bring forth the eight warriors of Mage and have them summon the Ultimate Blessing. All must be descendants of Mage warriors, and that is not hard to find, for almost all the people on this continent participated in the war during that time, so most people here are descendants of Mage warriors, may they be eminent warriors or insignificant mercenaries. The eight warriors of Mage are each able to control one of the elements of Magic. There are eight basic elements. Those elements are Ultima, Apocalypse, Holy, Earth, Wind, Ice, Fire, and Thunder. There is also Cure that is not an element, but a magic tool that anyone can use. Some people have the ability to use cure without any magical tool, such as I can.  
  
"Ultima and Holy are kind of opposites. Ultima is the magic element of destruction, while Holy is the element of creation. It's not like black and white, good and evil. They're just the opposites, like the positive and negative side of a magnet. They can both be used for good. While Holy can banish evil, Ultima can fight evil. Apocalypse is very similar to Ultima. Holy and Ultima are the most powerful two elements, the heavenly elements, and the rest are called earthly elements. Out of all the earthly elements, Apocalypse is the most powerful. The power of Apocalypse is a mysterious power that even I can't read from the stars. The rest are what they are called. Each magic element has different levels, and as we progress, we must develop higher levels of magic. It is vital, or we will not be able to create the barrier. The barrier must consist of all the highest-level magic of each element; only then will the black hole be blocked. Once I have encountered a possible Mage warrior, by studying the stars I can see if they are truly one of the chosen ones. I know that I am one, and my magic is Cure and Holy. I must develop the ability to use Holy, because I am not capable of using it yet. I haven't mastered the technique . . . I don't even know where it's hidden inside of me. Zeth's magic is Ultima, and he can already use it, but it is not up to the full potential yet. He hasn't found the true power of Ultima, similar to your situation with Apocalypse. Breanna has Earth magic, Fuuko has Wind magic, Cat has Thunder magic and Adrian has Fire magic. So far we have assembled seven of the eight warriors of Mage. We have yet to find the warrior who can wield the power of Ice."  
  
Zack nodded, intrigued. He had never known that Zaria was this knowledgeable, especially about things like astrology and stuff. "Whoa, you know a lot," he whistled. Zaria smiled. "I had a lot of free time on my hands over the years," she said modestly. "That's pretty much all I know about the subject, but I think that we'll be needing to know more. I heard that there's an elderly elf named Bink who knows a lot about the stars, a whole lot," she said thoughtfully, gazing into the night sky. All of a sudden, Zack and Zaria heard a rustling in the bushes, and they abruptly turned to see Zeth's dark honey-colored tresses moving around in the bushes.  
  
"Oh no, they're looking this way!" said an inaudible female voice, a voice that sounded very much like Fuuko's.  
  
Zaria laughed and stood up and walked over to the bushes. "Zeth," she said sternly. His head popped out of the bushes, and he had a sheepish grin on his face. "Zaria," he said innocently, giving her a lost puppy look. Zaria tried to look angry, but she couldn't help but laugh at him. "Get up," she ordered. "Have you been listening the whole time?"  
  
Zeth widened his grin. "Yes."  
  
Fuuko's head popped up out of the bushes. "We heard everything," she said, a wide smile on her face. "Everything. From what you said about Zeth to the evidence of Zack's ignorance to his position."  
  
"Um, hi Fuuko," Zack said sheepishly.  
  
Zeth and Zaria laughed, Zaria going into such hysterics that she fell over, and Zeth caught her. "And I heard everything about what you know about the stars," he murmured to her, his expression turning serious. "I never knew that you knew so much about this subject. So now, we know what we have to do. We have to go see Bink, right?"  
  
Zaria slowly nodded. "Yes," she said. "I should have known that if only the two of us had gone to Mage, then nothing would happen. I should have remembered what the stars told me, that all eight warriors need to be assembled, so then there would be a sign."  
  
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Zaria," Fuuko said. "Everybody forgets things. Tomorrow we have to go back to Najida to meet Cat and Adrian, and then we'll decide where to go next."  
  
Everyone nodded in agreement. "Let's go sleep now," Zack said. Then all of a sudden his eyes opened wide. "Wait! I totally forgot about Breanna!"  
  
He ran into the café, and Zaria quickly followed him in. "Go to my house," she called back to Zeth. "Fuuko, wait here for me!"  
  
Zack and Zaria disappeared into the bar, and Zeth shrugged and turned to Fuuko. "Will you be all right?" he asked. Fuuko nodded and Zeth ambled towards Zaria's house.  
  
Fuuko smiled to herself. She felt pleased and exhilarated after what she had heard. She was glad that she and Zeth had decided to eavesdrop on their conversation, no matter how silly it had been to do so.  
  
A few moments later, Zaria and Zack came out of the bar, both trying to keep Breanna standing up between them. Breanna was obviously very drunk. Zaria made a face. "I should have told Zeth to stay," she complained, struggling to keep Breanna from falling over. Fuuko rushed over to help them support Breanna. "She's smashed!" Fuuko exclaimed, who had just caught a whiff of Breanna's breath, which very heavily reeked of liquor.  
  
Zaria nodded, looking sick. "We have to get her home," she said, huffing and puffing. "You can stay at my house, Fuuko."  
  
"Or you can stay at mine!" Zack exclaimed brightly. Fuuko laughed. "I think I'll stay at Zaria's house," she said, smirking. "Thanks, Zaria."  
  
The three somehow managed to get a raving Breanna up to her home and into her room, and as soon as Breanna's head hit the pillow, she went out cold and started snoring loudly.  
  
"I didn't know that Breanna snored," Zaria giggled. Zack laughed.  
  
"Me neither. She must be having a good sleep, but I don't envy the hangover she'll get in the morning."  
  
As they left Breanna's house, Fuuko remembered that her things were in Breanna's guestroom, and retrieved her belongings. She came down to the hallway where Zack and Zaria were waiting for her. "Let's go, Zaria," Fuuko said, smirking at Zack. Zack turned in the direction of his home with a sad puppy look on his face.  
  
Fuuko turned to Zaria. "Thanks for letting me stay with you, Zaria," she said. "Are you sure I'm not getting in the way of you and Zeth? I mean, since you two are akin to being betrothed, shouldn't you two sleep in the same room? I could always go stay with Faye, you know."  
  
Zaria laughed and waved it off. "Sixty years ago, I spent enough nights sleeping in the same tent as him. He snores louder than Breanna! We're not really betrothed yet, anyway. We just sort of made a pledge to be wedded someday," she said diffidently. "He can sleep on the couch."  
  
"If you say so," Fuuko said, and they entered Zaria's home. "Wow!" Fuuko exclaimed. It's so nice and cozy in here! I love the atmosphere of this house!"  
  
"Me too," replied Zaria, grinning. "I had to make it as cozy as possible . . . for I was lonely for sixty years," she finished, shrugging. "Let's go to my room and get some sleep."  
  
"Um, Zaria," said a voice, and Zaria felt a tapping on her shoulder.  
  
"Zeth, you sleep on the couch," she implied, not even turning around. "See ya in the mornin', homeboy," she quipped, Zack style.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning Fuuko woke up feeling refreshed. She had slept very comfortably next to Zaria on Zaria's bed. The rays of light from Zaria's window lit the whole room up with warm sunlight. Fuuko turned around to look at Zaria, sleeping peacefully with her hair fanned out over the pillow.  
  
She's so adorable, Fuuko thought. If you looked at her, you would never know how much she had been through. The only thing that subtracted from how precious she looked was that her mouth was wide open and she was salivating on the pillow. It left a large wet spot on the pillowcase. The skin on her face was somewhat oily, a problem that Fuuko never had in the morning when she woke up. Fuuko got up, went to the bathroom and took a shower and got dressed in her warrior attire. By the time she got out of the bathroom, Zaria was gone. Where could she be? Fuuko looked around the room, but still couldn't find Zaria. Finally, she went to the living room where Zeth was sleeping on the couch. There she found Zaria, watching Zeth sleep with a fond look on her face.  
  
"Good morning, Zaria," Fuuko whispered loudly. Zaria turned around and smiled.  
  
"Good morning, Fuuko. If you're ready, then you can go to the café and get some breakfast, and Zeth and I will follow you there shortly. I'm sure Zack's already awake, so you can go call him if you wish."  
  
Fuuko nodded, and left Zaria to have some time alone with Zeth. She walked over to Zack's house, which was next door and rapped on the door. A few moments later Zack appeared dressed in his pajamas, his spikes in disarray, sticking out in every which way. "Hey . . . Fuuko," he said lethargically, struggling to keep his eyes unclosed.  
  
Fuuko giggled uncontrollably, while Zack had a dazed look on his face. "Just meet us at the café in half an hour," she gasped, clutching her stomach. She couldn't stop laughing, not even after Zack had shut the door in her face. Finally, Fuuko managed to calm herself down. Where should she go next? She decided to go to Breanna's house, and help Breanna get prepared, for Breanna was in no condition to be moving about unaccompanied. And, Fuuko had a healing elixir that could cure hangovers as well.  
  
She walked over to Breanna's mansion, next to the tavern, and loudly knocked on the door. One of Breanna's servants answered the door, and immediately recognized Fuuko.  
  
"Oh, Miss Fuuko, Miss Breanna refuses to come out of her room!" the maidservant exclaimed, distraught. "She keeps on moaning and groaning, and I don't know what to do!"  
  
"Calm down, Jolie," Fuuko said. "Take me to Breanna's room and I'll take care of it." Jolie led Fuuko up to Breanna's room, and pushed the door open. Breanna was lying on the floor, moaning loudly.  
  
"My head," she grunted, curling into fetal position. Fuuko shook her head and brought out her elixir. "Drink this, Breanna," Fuuko ordered, holding it out to her.  
  
"Ugh . . . my head!" Breanna howled, thrashing her bedspread around. She reached for the elixir but didn't get a good grip on it, and it fell to the ground, all the precious liquid soaking onto the carpet. Fuuko sighed and rolled her eyes. This would be a long morning.  
  
* * *  
  
Zeth was slumbering peacefully although Zaria imagined that he was in quite an uncomfortable position, slumped over the couch like he was. She stood over him, peering down at his face. "Wake up, dolt," she demanded, waving her hands in front of his face. He didn't move at all, but continued to snore. She sighed and put her hands on her hips. "WAKE UP!" she shouted. Yet even then, he continued to sleep. She threw her hands up in aggravation and glared at him.  
  
She sighed again and diminished her tone. "Zeth," she said sweetly. His eyes fluttered open.  
  
"Zaria?" he said drowsily, trying to focus his eyes on her.  
  
"Get up," she snapped, and left the room. Zeth sat up, confused. How come the tone she had woke him up with was so saccharine, and that tone had changed so abruptly? He shrugged and got up and changed his clothing, and walked to Zaria's room and tapped on the door.  
  
"Zaria," he called, ceaselessly tapping his knuckles on the wood. Finally, Zaria emerged from the room, looking refreshed, with her hair tied the usual way, loosely in a small knot right underneath her shoulder blades. "You wear you hair like that all the time. What kind of outlandish hairstyle is that?" Zeth asked her, tugging at her mane. Zaria gave him a withering look.  
  
"I like it this way, if you don't mind," she snapped. "What kind of hairstyle do you have? The hair around your neck is too long! It almost reaches the base of your neck! You look like a vain-"  
  
They continued to bicker and tease each other, doing so continuously until they had reached the entrance to the café.  
  
"Stop irritating me!" Zaria shrieked, balling her hands into fists.  
  
"How can I, when you get wound up so easily?" Zeth shot back, grabbing her fists. She stuck her tongue out at him and stomped into the bar, where Zack was sitting alone, looking very drowsy. "Zack!" Zaria exclaimed, rushing over to him. "You agree with me right, that Zeth is an irritating idiot with an asinine fixation with his vanity? Sheesh, in the morning you should see how long it takes for him to fix his hair. He's so narcissistic!"  
  
Zack blinked, confused, and stared at Zaria. "Huh?" Zaria groaned and repeated her question loudly. Zack seemed to wake up and his bland expression was exchanged with one of amusement.  
  
"Well, that's Zeth, has to have perfect hair to go with his perfect everything else," he chuckled, slapping Zeth on the back. Zeth laughed and sat down next to Zack, and they started talking, completely disregarding Zaria.  
  
A second later, Fuuko walked in looking impatient, and following her was a very wobbly Breanna. She was swaying back and forth, bumping into things. As soon as Fuuko spotted Zaria she rushed over. "Zaria," she panted. "Do you have some elixir for Breanna's hangover?"  
  
Zaria shook her head. "No, but I think I can heal her myself," she said with caution.  
  
Fuuko nodded gratefully and gestured towards Breanna. "Do your sorcery," she said, and then slumped down onto a chair.  
  
Zaria walked over to Breanna and held her securely, and focused on all her healing magic to be directed towards Breanna's head. The white light of the magic illuminated throughout the entire tavern. The few people in the café who were sipping their coffee stared at Zaria. Zaria smiled winsomely. "You're fine now, Breanna," she said. Breanna looked at Zaria appreciatively, and smiled at her, a gesture of gratitude that she had rarely directed towards Zaria even though Zaria had healed her countless times in the past.  
  
They all sat down at the table and ordered their breakfast. As they ate, they discussed what they were going to do.  
  
"So this is today's agenda," Breanna said. "We go to Najida to meet Cat and Adrian, and then we start searching for the eighth Mage warrior, starting at the town of Icicle, right?" She looked at Zaria for her approval. Zaria nodded.  
  
"Yeah," she said enthusiastically. "I thought that we would start looking up north, because none of us have ever been there and we most likely will find an Ice Warrior in a cold place!"  
  
Fuuko nodded. "I've always wanted to see that winter resort in Icicle!" she exclaimed. "I want to go skiing there!"  
  
"So we're going there," Zeth confirmed, glancing at everyone. They all nodded. "So let's go to Najida now," he said.  
  
They all got up and left the café. "Wait!" Zack said, stopping short. "I want to show you our latest mode of transportation!" he exclaimed. "It's my old man's, and he said we could borrow it!"  
  
Zack pulled them to his backyard, where a small jet was parked. Although it had been used sixty years ago during the Mage war, it looked much better than Zack's previous plane, the Windbird. He smiled with glee. "This is the Firebird," he said loftily. "Go get your stuff and meet me here in five minutes, and then we're off to Najida!"  
  
Too tired to argue and not wanting to spoil Zack's good mood, they all followed his orders. They brought their belongings to Zack and he started loading them onto the back of the plane. Although it looked small on the outside, it was quite large and nice on the inside. "Wow!" Zaria exclaimed, as she climbed into the plane, "this is like a private jet!" Zack nodded, bubbling with pride. As soon as they all were in the plane, Zack started the engine, preparing to lift off. Luckily, Zack's backyard was very big, and they had enough space to lift off safely.  
  
"This is #$%^ awesome!" Zack shouted, and zoomed off in the direction of Najida.  
  
I'm going deeper and getting into more technical lingo but still, this story has light and dark elements! Keep on reading, and please review! 


	6. Chapter 06 The Bitter Cold of Hate

And its goes on to chapter 6!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Bitter Cold of Hate, the Sweet Warmth of Love  
  
Breanna and Zeth fell sound asleep during the ride, so Fuuko and Zaria discussed all their impending plans. Zack, whom was piloting the plane, would cut them off every now and then to insert one of his own remarks and opinions into their conversation. Every time he did that, either Fuuko or Zaria would turn around to glare at him, but he never noticed. An hour later, they arrived at Najida. Zaria shook Breanna and Zeth awake and they got off the plane and entered the Arrow headquarters. They greeted Vincent and Zeth stayed with him to explain what they planned to do. The rest of them entered the conference room, where Cat and Adrian were waiting for them.  
  
"What took you so long?" Cat exclaimed as soon as they entered the room. "We all stopped at Mydele," Zaria replied. "It's great to see you, Cat!"  
  
They all sat down and Cat walked to the front of the room. She smiled nervously and glanced at Adrian, who nodded. "I have something to tell you guys," she began. She glanced at Adrian again. Fuuko looked in Adrian's direction, and noticed the thoughtful way he was gazing at Cat. She raised her brows and whispered her suspicions to Zaria, who glanced at Adrian and nodded in agreement.  
  
"I'm an elf/harpy crossbreed!" Cat burst, and spread her wings wide. Everyone gaped at her in astonishment. "That's wonderful, Cat!" Fuuko finally said. "Where did you go to find all this out?" Cat smiled. "I went to see Bink! You know, the great astrologer!"  
  
Zaria gasped. "Bink? Where does he live?" A baffled look crossed Cat's face. "Why, he lives in the Forest of the Elves, and I can take you there if you wish," she said, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Zaria, realizing how serious she sounded, softened her expression. "Thank you, Cat, I'll take you up on that afterward. For now, we need to go to Icicle."  
  
Cat looked even more befuddled. "Icicle? Why?"  
  
Zaria looked and Fuuko, Breanna, and Zack. She turned back to Cat. "It's a long story," she began. "But I will tell you. You see, by means of astrology and other ways, I have foreseen that a great danger will soon befall our planet, and eight persons, each being able to use an element of Magic, must come together to prevent that. If they cannot forestall it, then they will be the only ones with the strength and courage to combat the opponent. This catastrophe will most likely be the Black Hole project. You and Adrian are both one of the eight warriors, the eight warriors of Mage. You wield the element of Thunder, while Adrian wields the element of Fire. We have located seven of the eight warriors, who are Zeth, Zack, Fuuko, Breanna, Adrian, you and I. There are eight elements, which are Ultima, Apocalypse, Wind, Earth, Fire, Thunder, Ice, and Holy. Cat and Adrian, I'm sure you know what each element is, from what you have studied here at Arrow headquarters. We need to find the warrior who wields the Ice magic element, and only then can we go find out more about what we must do. We can go see Bink then, because I'm sure he will be able to look into the stars much easier than I could, for he is the greatest astrologer of this generation."  
  
Adrian nodded, accepting what he had been told, but Cat began pacing around the room, shaking her head. "Wh-Why? I don't understand," she stammered. "This is so . . . so confounding! Why do I have to be a warrior? What if I don't want to be one? What if I just want to live in peace?" Zaria looked at Cat regretfully.  
  
"I'm sorry, but this is the truth about you, Cat," she said. "Please accept it, because the planet is at stake." She looked down and traipsed out of the room.  
  
"I know that you apprehend enough about magic to understand, Cat," Fuuko said quietly and followed Zaria out of the room. Zack started to follow her, but turned back to Cat and said, "Do what you think is right for the people you treasure. After all, we fight to protect the ones we love." He then pivoted on his heel and departed the room.  
  
"Wait, Zack!" Adrian exclaimed, and rushed out after him. The only ones remaining in the room were Breanna and Cat. Breanna raised her head to look at Cat in the eye. She stood there watching Cat.  
  
"What, aren't you going to say something?" Cat asked, irritated.  
  
Breanna nodded. "Don't be such a wimp."  
  
Breanna then left the room, leaving Cat alone. Cat sighed and slumped down into the chair. She didn't understand why she had so much trouble accepting it, even though she clearly understood why she had to. She recalled Zack's words; we fight to protect the ones we love. Was that true? What if our loved ones didn't want there to be any fighting? What was more important, following their wishes, or protecting them? What if you didn't follow their wishes and they lost their faith in you? What would you have left to fight for then?  
  
The questions crowded in Cat's head, making her feel faint. There were too many choices to make in life, and she was afraid that if she made the wrong choice, she would lose something. But what was she afraid to lose? She didn't even know yet. She let the blood rush back to her head and sat in deep thought. Everyone was depending on her, and if she didn't go with them, she would be betraying the planet. She would go, even though she had a gut feeling that if she embarked on this journey then someone very significant would be lost. But then, if she didn't, then the planet would be forfeited. So she would risk it and go, and she would always take secondary precautions to make sure that everyone was safe. Cat stood up and walked out of the room into the hall, where everyone was stagnant and expectant. Breanna looked bored as usual, leaning against the wall. Zack and Zeth were checking their supply stock. Fuuko was talking to Adrian about their plans, and Zaria was standing there gazing at Cat most intently. "So, have you decided what to do, Cat?" Zaria asked. Cat nodded.  
  
"I will go with you, so let's go!" she exclaimed, her expression turning garrulous. A smile appeared on Zaria's face.  
  
"Yes, let's go to Icicle," she said softly.  
  
They all followed Zack out to the Firebird, momentarily pausing to say goodbye to Vincent, who had smiled and told them to go save the world from the government.  
  
They climbed into the Firebird, one by one, and when Cat got in she looked around in amazement. "Wow, this is fun!" she exclaimed, peering out the window. She turned to Fuuko. "Hey Fuuko, didn't you once pilot a plane like this once?" Fuuko nodded, glancing at Zack.  
  
"Yes, I did," she replied. "And if Zack gets tired, I can take over."  
  
Zack thanked her for the offer and started the engine and lifted off. "Yeah! We're off to Icicle!" The engine of the Firebird roared, and the jet zoomed off into the distance.  
  
As expected, Breanna fell asleep, and this time Fuuko did too. Zaria was analyzing an astrology book, on a page that focused on the messages of stars. Adrian seemed interested, and asked Zaria about it, and she started explaining what she knew in detail. As Zaria went on and on, Zeth turned to Cat.  
  
He cleared his throat. "Why didn't you want to go with us at first?" he asked her candidly. Cat glanced at him apprehensively.  
  
"A perceptive one, aren't you. I don't really know if I should say, because it might create needless alarm," she said, her dusky eyes looking melancholy. Zeth looked at her grimly.  
  
"Just tell me, Cat," he insisted.  
  
Her eyes were downcast. "I know that by going on this mission we're going to save the planet, but I have a feeling that it is very dangerous, and we need to stay to protect people back home. I don't know what to think," she faltered, burying her face in her hands.  
  
Zeth patted her back awkwardly and attempted to console her. "Don't worry, Cat," he said softly. "Even the best of us don't know what to believe sometimes."  
  
Cat's expression changed, and she once more illuminated exuberance. "You know, that remark made me feel a lot better," she said, appearing flustered and fascinated at the same time. Zeth shrugged. Something peculiar was operating here . . . it seemed like something or someone was controlling their emotions, their thoughts . . . but the thought of that was so far off that Zeth merely shrugged it off. Maybe the elf named Bink would know whether his premonitions made any sense or not, so he would keep the thought in the back of his mind.  
  
Cat turned to join Adrian and Zaria's conversation, leaving Zeth with no one to talk to. Zeth shifted in his seat to gaze out the window. They were flying in the clouds, and the puffy white cotton-like substance whipped by them rapidly. Watching the mist gave him a certain sense of comfort, and he felt like the trepidation from his heart was being lifted. He turned back to Zaria and started to say something, but she was too busy talking, so he climbed over Breanna and Fuuko and plopped into the front seat next to Zack.  
  
"Are we nearly there yet?" he asked Zack.  
  
"What the @#$% are you doing here?" Zack swore. "I'm sorry to yell, Zeth, but I need to concentrate on my piloting . . . but we can chat if you want. First, you just put on your seatbelt. What is it you said?"  
  
Zeth cast his gaze downward. "Never mind," he said quietly. Zack turned his head in Zeth direction and spoke dismissively.  
  
"Sounds like something's wrong. Anyway, tell me about it later. We're a minute away from Icicle!"  
  
Zeth was invigorated instantly, and gazed out the front window. The plane had begun to land, and indeed, there was powdery snow all over the place. He pressed his face up to the glass like a small child. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "I've never been up north before! This is amazing!"  
  
Zack grinned. "Yeah it is, isn't it? Here's a good landing spot, just wait a sec, we're almost there."  
  
He veered the plane towards the left, and the turbulence jolted Fuuko and Breanna awake, and made Zaria, Cat and Adrian topple over, because they had senselessly not worn their seatbelts.  
  
"Yaaaakkkhhh!" Zeth heard shouts and screams coming from the back, so he craned his neck to look at them. It was a comical sight; Fuuko and Breanna looking startled out of their sleep, and with Zaria, Cat and Adrian sprawled over the meager space on the floor. Zeth described the sight to Zack and he laughed heartily. Finally the plane was landed, and everyone clambered out.  
  
"It's freezing!" Zaria exclaimed, rubbing her hands together vigorously. Zeth walked over and put his hand on her shoulder, and Zaria yelped, for the metal armor he was wearing on his wrist made it even colder. Cat jumped up and down.  
  
"Yeah! I've been up north before, but not where it was this cold! I should've brought a jacket or something!" She started to hop around for warmth.  
  
"You mean a straitjacket," Breanna muttered. She seemed to be the only person who was unaffected by the frigidity. She stood there looking bored, while all the others were stomping around, trying to keep warm. "Look, why don't we just go into Icicle and find a tavern or something?" she said in an exasperated tone. They all nodded and followed Zack as he led the way to Icicle. He had parked the jet a few meters right in front of Icicle, so it wasn't a tedious walk. Finally they reached Icicle Inn, and all rushed inside, and went straight towards the fireplace in the lobby for warmth. Zeth walked over to the innkeeper.  
  
"Will ya all be stayin' here at Icicle Inn tonight?" the innkeeper inquired. Zeth shivered. In here it was warmer, but it was still cold.  
  
"Yes," he replied. "By the way, is there a shop or anything around here where we can buy some winter apparel? It's so chilly here!" The innkeeper laughed cordially.  
  
"Yeah there is, right across yonder street, but if yer not staying in the northern part of the ole continent fer long, ya don't need to buy any ole winter apparatus, 'cause ya git useta it anyway, and ya don't need to waste any extra money. All of us livin' 'ere, we're from a sunnier climes, yet we've all adjusted pretty nicely, if ah do say so mahself."  
  
Zeth tried to laugh, his teeth chattering. "I think we need some more clothing, sir," he said, shivering. "We're looking for someone, and we might spend a lot of time here. I don't think we'll be able to stand the cold that long."  
  
The innkeeper laughed again. "All right. So ya kin go 'an do whatever ole business ya have ta do 'ere in Icicle, and I'll git yer room set up waitin' fer ya when ya come back. Jus' wonderin', who is it yer lookin' fer?"  
  
Zeth shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "Um, do you know of anyone who can use Ice magic?" he asked. The innkeeper gave him a nonplussed glance.  
  
"No, but why don't ya ask the people around this town? Maybe they know. But if yer tryin' to look fer Ice magic around 'ere . . . it would be pretty darn hard to spot unless ya got some other source ya kin check on . . . ah've heard of this device that someone in Icicle has . . . it's a Magic Identifier . . . but ah don't know who has it."  
  
Zeth lifted his eyebrows. "Thanks!" he exclaimed. "That's a useful piece of information. Thanks for telling me! See you later."  
  
He rushed over to his comrades and told them what he had heard. Zaria nodded, smiling.  
  
"That would be a good thing to have with us! But first, LET'S GET SOMETHING WARM TO WEAR! WE'RE FREEZING!" she shrieked. Cat nodded in agreement, and hugged herself tightly.  
  
"S-s-s-so cold," she whimpered, gazing soulfully at Zeth. Zeth sighed in exasperation.  
  
"All right, all right," he said. "Let's go to the store across the street." They all trooped out of the inn and quickly went across the street and entered the shop.  
  
"We're here," Zaria said, shivering from the cold.  
  
They walked around and bought their winter supplies, and even got hiking gear, in case they might ever have to go up a mountain in their search. After they donned their extra layers of warmth they left the store and walked out in the street. "Where do we go now?" Breanna asked blandly. Zeth looked around.  
  
"Let's ask people about the Magic Identifier." He stopped the first woman who walked by and queried her about the subject. Luckily, she was kind.  
  
"Ah've heard of it," she said thoughtfully. "Ya ought to go ask that Zitan character, he knows a lot 'bout magic," she said.  
  
"Zitan?" Zeth asked. "Where does he live?"  
  
"At the edge of the village," she replied. "In the large cabin. He lives alone there, and he seems to have many texts 'bout the subject ya want ta find out more about." Zeth thanked her and proceeded to the cabin she had directed. When they reached the front door, Zeth turned around to everyone.  
  
"I think that only a few of us should go in, or we'll overwhelm the guy," he said. "Zaria. You come with me. Zack, you too." They nodded. Fuuko turned to Breanna, Adrian and Cat.  
  
"Let's go buy some elixirs," she said. "We might need them if we pass out from the cold waiting out here. "  
  
Then Fuuko, Breanna, Adrian and Cat walked away. Cat turned back to them. "Good luck, Zaria!" she said cheerfully. "See you in half an hour!" She then pivoted and ran to rejoin Adrian, Fuuko and Breanna. Zaria smiled to herself at how Cat's optimism was so contagious, and followed Zeth to Zitan's front porch. Zeth used the brass knocker, which was in the shape of a lion to knock on the door. Moments later, a statuesque young man who looked familiar to Zeth opened the door.  
  
"Hello," the man said, looking at each of them, his gaze pausing on Zaria.  
  
"Hello," Zeth replied. "Are you Zitan?" The man nodded. Zeth furrowed his brow. He had expected this Zitan to be a lot older but then again Zitan might have the very rare rejuvenating magic that restored one's youth. "I'm Zeth, and this is Zaria and this is Zack," he said, gesturing towards his friends. "We have come to discuss magic."  
  
"Come on in," Zitan said, and opened the door and stepped aside. As they walked into his log cabin one by one, Zitan's gaze followed Zaria. Zeth saw this but didn't say anything. "Sit down there," Zitan instructed, pointing to the settee. They all sat down. "What do ya want to discuss about magic?" Zitan asked. "Have ya come to purchase some magic spells? Or are ya searching for a magic item? Or do ya simply want to know more about the subject?"  
  
Zeth tilted his head. "Well, I suppose that we have come to do all of the above," he replied. "Do you, by any chance, know what the Magic Identifier is?" Zitan leaned over.  
  
"What did ya say?"  
  
"The Magic Identifier," Zeth repeated clearly. Zitan laughed mirthfully. "Ya want that ole thing? The only thing that device is good fer is to identify magic spells, nothin' else!" he exclaimed.  
  
"It.doesn't tell you where magic is operating?" Zeth asked. Zitan shook his head resolutely.  
  
"Only as much as yer own eyes kin see! That thing is so useless ah threw it away ages ago!"  
  
Zeth nodded his head slowly. "I see. Well, let us tell you our story, and please tell us if you know anything about the subject."  
  
He began to talk about how Zaria could read the messages of the stars, and how they had foreseen that the Black Hole project would be dangerous, and so and so on. Zitan stopped him by holding up his hands. "Tell me no more, ah know what the stars say," he said briskly. He stood up and walked over to a desk and picked up and small glassy yellow orb. As soon as he touched it, there was a bright tawny light illuminating from it. He brought it over to the group. "This here's a Star orb," he said. "Ah kin use it to read stars, or to summon the knowledge of stars, or even absorb the power of them. It ain't possible fer me to absorb the power, fer ah would die 'cause the magnitude of it is too great. Ah've read all the outcries for help that the stars have released, so ah know the danger that has befallen this planet, and ah know about the eight warriors of Mage."  
  
Zaria stared at the orb, stared at the saffron aura illuminating from it. She reached out to touch it and the yellow light brightened, and became so brilliant that it was blinding. She instantly removed her hand from the orb, and the light slowly dimmed to its former radiance. "What's going on?" she demanded at Zitan. Zitan peered at her closely.  
  
"Yer not a Locke, are ya?" he asked her.  
  
She was bewildered. "How did you know that?"  
  
He smiled. "Yer Zaria Locke, aren't ya?" he said. "Zaria! I'm yer brother, Zitan! Don't ya remember me?" Zaria furrowed her brow.  
  
"Zitan . . ." she said thoughtfully. "Oh yes! Zitan! You were born a year after me . . . right?" she exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah," Zitan said after a moment's hesitation. "Even though ya were summoned away from home at the age of eight, Ma and Pa received news of ya and kept yer picture before yer mysterious disappearance. Ya look exactly the same, ya know . . . do ya have rejuvenatin' magic or somethin'?"  
  
Zaria shook her head. "I just used the family youth elixir," she replied. "You've been using the rejuvenating spell, I presume? Or else, you should be in your late seventies." Zitan nodded.  
  
"It's great to see ya, Zaria," he said.  
  
"Wait," Zaria said, her brows furrowed. "What's with the accent? I don't really remember you having that accent before, even though it was more than half a century ago that I saw you last."  
  
Zitan looked sheepish. "Yeah well, after livin' with these people fer a while, ah sort of adapted their accent, even though it ain't as heavy. Do ya mind? Ah think ah kin still talk like ah used to, if ya want me to."  
  
"No need, no need," Zaria said quickly.  
  
Zeth looked at them in disbelief. No wonder Zitan had looked so familiar. He looked like Zaria! So alike that they could've been twins! They had the same dark brown hair, similar green eyes. While Zaria's eyes were a bright, phosphorescent emerald color, Zitan's looked more like jade.  
  
"So how did you end up in Icicle, if you were born in Mydele?" Zack asked Zitan.  
  
"During the war, our family managed to escape to Icicle, which is neutral territory," Zitan replied.  
  
"Oh," Zack said, nodding.  
  
"It's great to see you, Zitan," Zaria said happily. "Finally, to find another member of the Locke family! Who would've known that my very own little brother would be so impressive?" Zitan laughed somewhat uncomfortably, but was cut off by knocking at the door.  
  
Zitan got up and answered the door, and stepped aside as Cat, Adrian, Breanna and Fuuko walked in. "We're friends of Zeth," Cat informed him, and came in and sat down, paying no heed to the fact that she had not yet been invited in. "So, any progress?"  
  
"Zitan is my brother!" Zaria burst, grinning happily.  
  
"Cool!" exclaimed Cat. "But why are you so young?"  
  
Zitan smiled. "Ah moved to Icicle durin' the war, and ah've been using rejuvenatin' magic to keep mahself this age," he replied. "And now, Zaria, ah'll explain to ya why the Star magic orb reacted that way to ya. It has somethin' to do with our family line. Anyone in the Locke clan is very adept with anything having to do with magic, and magic orbs tend to be more powerful when used by anyone in the Locke family. But that catch is that Locke family members kin use no destructive magic, it jus' won't work. Not even a simple fire spell. We kin only use constructive magic, except if ya are blessed with the ability of bein' a specific magic caster. But, any one of us kin make any magic orb, even a destructive one, powerful in our presence, and others who have the power to use that type of magic kin use it while it is very powerful, if they have the ability to control that amount of power."  
  
Zaria nodded slowly. "I understand what you mean, it's a perfect explanation for the way I use magic, but why is it so? What is it about the Locke family?"  
  
Zitan pursed his lips. "Well, it's a long story, but if ya all are willing to listen, then ah'll tell ya. It's basically a legend, but it's the only explanation of the mystery of the Locke family."  
  
"I'd like to hear it," said Fuuko.  
  
"Whatever is fine with me," Breanna said.  
  
Zeth looked out the window. "It'll be dark soon, and I think we need to hurry back to the inn before it gets dark," he said.  
  
"Don't worry 'bout that," Zitan said. "Ya kin easily find the way back to Icicle Inn, ah'll take ya if ya want. And don't bother spending money on extra rooms, 'cause the three guys can stay 'ere. Mah bed is big enough for five people. Mah bed is the good ole floor, covered with blankets."  
  
Zeth relaxed and thanked him.  
  
"So do ya want to hear the story?" Zitan asked.  
  
"Fine with me, if it's fine with Zaria," Zeth replied.  
  
"I'm the one who wanted to hear it in the first place!" Zaria exclaimed.  
  
"I wanna hear it too!" Cat cried eagerly. Zack nodded in agreement.  
  
"Start telling it already, the suspense is killing me!" Adrian exclaimed. Zitan laughed.  
  
"All right, all right," he chuckled. Then he began telling the Legend of the Locke Family.  
  
"It all started two hundred years ago when a young sorceress by the name of Louvia came to the ancient city of Mage, but back then it wasn't so ancient. She was said to be a princess of the moon sent down to the planet to destroy all living creatures and start anew with a new planet. Naturally, when Sorceress Louvia arrived in Mage everyone there was terrified, for rumors had spread fast and Louvia had already performed many outstanding acts of magic. Magic was a very common thing back then, and everyone could use one of the elements of magic. Not like now, where we have to have magic tools and spells. Louvia had never destroyed anything, but she had banished some evil creatures to the moon, where they are trapped in their prison inside the moon, where they'll never git out of, because there is a barrier similar to the one that ya'll seal on the Black Hole. People did not care whether the creatures she had banished were evil, but they only acknowledged the fact that she had banished creatures to the moon, so they feared her. She had been traveling around the continent, but no one would accept her, they only shunned her even though she was fair of face, pure of heart, and a good warrior at that. Once the most powerful magicians in Mage heard that Sorceress Louvia had arrived, they formed a conspiracy in order to destroy her, and they almost succeeded. Luckily, Louvia was shielded by the magic of the moon, so no magic could harm her. Yet even though she was protected and powerful, she was lonely and longed for companionship, any companionship.  
  
"One of the sons of the magicians in the conspiracy, who was a magician as well, was forced to join their cause to destroy Louvia. His name was Claude Locke. He could use the magic element of Ultimate Destruction, and could annihilate anything easily. Ultima has always been a rare element, and not many people have the power to control it. The magicians wanted Claude to deceive Louvia, to trick her into trusting him so that they could strike at her physically and emotionally. Claude was a young man with a virtuous heart, so he didn't want to perform such a conniving act, but his father forced him to. He was instructed to go and find Sorceress Louvia and make her trust him.  
  
"Excuse me, miss, are you all right?" Claude inquired. The young woman in front of him looked up. She had the blackest hair that he had ever seen, and her aquamarine eyes burnished like the moonlight. Those lovely aqua eyes were shining with unshed tears.  
  
"Sir, why doth thou speak to one such as I?" she asked humbly, her tears stuck in her throat. Indeed, why did this virile, aristocratic young man speak to her? He was quite comely with his russet-colored hair, his emerald green eyes. They were so mesmerizing, yet they looked benign and merciful.  
  
"Are you, perchance, Sorceress Louvia?" he asked her. She nodded timorously.  
  
"Please, do not hurt me," she begged, lowering her head. Her tears fell out of her eyes and dropped onto the ground.  
  
"I won't hurt you," Claude assured her, and helped her up. "Miss Louvia, why are you all alone during nighttime like this? Do you not know that it is perilous to be out here alone at a time such as this?" Louvia hesitantly looked at Claude's face. "I have nowhere to go, sir," she whispered.  
  
"Don't call me sir," Claude said mildly. "My name is Claude Locke. Miss Louvia, let me escort you to my home."  
  
Louvia's eyes grew huge and she shrunk back in fear. "Oh, please sir, anything but that!"  
  
Claude laughed. "Louvia, I have no intention of harming you in any way nor doing anything against your will," he assured her. "I only wish to escort you to my home where you may spend the night, instead of foraging out here in the cold. There are plenty of spare rooms where I live."  
  
Louvia's gaze grew less apprehensive, and she tentatively took Claude's outstretched hand.  
  
"That was the beginning of some kind of a friendship between them, and Claude did begin to win Louvia's trust. The trouble was that he started to fall in love with the formidable sorceress, for he no longer saw her as a threat, but saw her as a wonderful person with a benevolent heart. He could not bring himself to ever harm her. One day he was assigned to take her into the Forest of the Elves into a secluded spot and exterminate her there. He did take her to the forest, but when he had the opportunity to strike, he couldn't bring himself to do so because he treasured her. He told her of the insidious plot that he had been part of, and he told her to leave the continent and start anew, but she refused to leave him, for she cared for him too. They ran away together to Mydele, and started their family. One day, the Goddess of the Moon, Selene, came down to see Louvia, and told Louvia the hurtful truth of what she had to do. Louvia would have to leave her mortal existence, leave her family in perpetuity. She had to go back to the moon to take her place as Eternal Princess of the Moon. She had no choice but to go, but when she was immortal, she would be able to have all the powers of a god. She reluctantly abandoned mortality, leaving only a letter to her beloved, Claude, which has been passed down each generation. He was deeply sorrowed and never remarried, and took care of their children who all had lustrous dark brown hair and sparkling emerald eyes verging on aquamarine. Once his children were grown and married, he slowly declined from loneliness. Louvia saw this from her place as Princess of the Moon, and asked Selene for one boon, to have Claude be at her side as her consort. Selene granted her wish, and Claude was rejuvenated and brought to the moon for a life of divinity. He was now the Consort Prince of the Moon, and he had godly powers as well. Louvia and Claude put together their Holy and Ultima magic, combined it with their godly powers, and created a powerful blessing for their children. Since they were both magicians, they decided to lay a blessing on all Locke children or any descendants of the Locke clan. Therefore anyone with Locke blood in them has the special abilities with magic, and it is always associated with Holy or Ultima. Some have stronger magic compatibility than others do, like Zaria is better with magic elements than I am. I can more readily use spells, and can use magic orbs, but not up to their full potential. That is the Legend of the Locke Family."  
  
"Wow," said Cat, mesmerized. "That's pretty damn interesting family history!"  
  
Zack whistled. "I'll say," he agreed. "That explains a lot about Zaria."  
  
Breanna had tears streaming down her cheeks. "That was the most romantic story I have ever heard," she blubbered as Adrian handed her his handkerchief that she promptly blew her nose on while others looked on in amusement. "It's so sweet!" she exclaimed through her tears.  
  
"Dark brown hair, emerald eyes," Fuuko wondered aloud. "Sounds a lot like Zaria, and Zitan as well."  
  
Zeth nodded in agreement. "It's dark," he said. "We've learned a lot about Locke history today! I think we should take the girls to the inn now," he told Zack and Adrian. They nodded.  
  
"By the way, I do have a copy of the letter that Louvia wrote to Claude when she left," Zitan blurted.  
  
"Really?" Zaria asked, excited. "Can I see it?"  
  
Zitan nodded and retrieved a piece of paper. "Here. It's been passed down for centuries."  
  
"Dear Claude," Zaria read aloud, "I guess you know that by now I have left. There's so much to explain, so much to say. I'm sorry I didn't tell you all of it before. I'm the Eternal Princess of the Moon, Claude. And I did something that I wasn't supposed to do. I married you. I married a mortal who could influence me to do anything. It's true, Claude. I would do anything for you, but I can no longer neglect my duty. I'll never forget you. Even now, as I write, I know that I will always be thinking of you. You gave me a gift, you were my strength when I was weak, and I am eternally grateful for what you have given me. I love our children, I love our home, and I love you. I will never forget you. Till the day my life is through, this I promise you. I will always be a Locke. I will always be your Louvia Locke. Love, Louvia." Zaria looked up with tears in her eyes.  
  
"Till the day my life is through? Isn't she immortal?" asked Zack, puzzled.  
  
"Yes," said Zaria, her voice sounding tremulous. "She means forever, because she'll never die." She looked up, smiling. "But they eventually did get to be together again . . . so . . ." Cat reached over and put her hand on Zaria's shoulder. A moment of silence passed.  
  
"I'll be waiting here for you guys," Zitan interjected. "See you in fifteen minutes."  
  
"Wait one moment," Fuuko said suspiciously. "Zitan, your hillbilly accent is gone! Ya ain't talkin' like this anymore, ya ole bean!"  
  
Zitan looked flabbergasted. "So it is," he said. "I guess my true self has been hiding in me all this time . . . and when I finally get to speak with people who don't have a hillbilly accent then my original mode of speech has resurfaced." He smiled. "I guess I'll be talking normally from now on, then. See ya all in fifteen minutes, so git!"  
  
The seven warriors of Mage stood up and left the cabin. They walked together bunched up in their group. Breanna continued to blubber and Zack was holding on to her to keep her from falling, while Fuuko and Adrian were teasing her. Cat was sitting on Zack's shoulders and screaming with delight.  
  
Zaria pulled Zeth aside and they walked together a little apart from the group. She blew out a breath of air, which turned into a little cloud of mist. "Cold, isn't it?" she said, putting her hand on Zeth's.  
  
"That was an . . . interesting story to know, but I wonder if it has brought us any closer to finding the eighth warrior of Mage," Zeth wondered aloud, not intending to let his thought slip. Zaria looked up at him.  
  
"So you think that was a waste of time."  
  
Zeth winced at the hint of bitterness in her voice. "No, Zaria, that's not what I meant. I meant-"  
  
"Save it," Zaria snapped contentiously and let go of his hand. "If you didn't want to hear it, why didn't you say so? You know, if things that are meaningful to me aren't substantial to you then maybe we shouldn't be involved in the same things. So maybe all your words to me were lies after all. You never listen to me, that's why you fell into that warp, which was why I had to be alone for sixty years, NEVER BREAKING MY VOWS TO YOU!" she shouted, infuriated.  
  
"Zaria, how can you say that?" Zeth asked her, the pain clear in his voice. "You know how much I care about you."  
  
"Maybe I don't," Zaria said in a clipped tone, and strutted away from him. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him.  
  
"Zaria, listen to me!" he said forcefully. She shook herself out of his grasp.  
  
"No, Zeth! How about not having something your way for once! How about thinking for one second about my pain, how much I cared about you even though I thought you were lost forever?" Tears spilled out of her eyes. She turned away from him. "Just get away from me," she whispered dully, and walked away quickly, leaving Zeth standing there.  
  
"Zaria!" Cat called after her and ran to catch up. Zeth could see Zaria turning to Cat, the tears glistening in her eyes. He didn't know what to do, so just stood there until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Zack standing there, a concerned look on his face.  
  
"You all right?" he asked. Zeth shook his head.  
  
"I made Zaria mad at me," he sighed. "It's because she's five years younger," he said, shrugging. "Younger girls are always more temperamental."  
  
"Oh," Zack said deliberately, not reminding Zeth of the fact that she had actually lived a lot longer than him. "Let's go back to Zitan's house now then. I'm sure the girls can make it back to the inn safely." Zeth nodded, his eyes downcast. His usual self-assured demeanor had evaporated, and he trudged back towards Zitan's house. "Adrian, let's go," Zack called. Adrian looked puzzled, but merely shrugged and flew towards Zack.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" he inquired. Zack nodded towards Zeth. "Oh," Adrian said. "Zaria, right?" Zack nodded. "Oh," Adrian said again. "Well, this is gonna be our guy's night, right? So we figure out what to do tonight and tomorrow it will be all right!" he said optimistically, but Zeth merely nodded slightly, still looking dispirited.  
  
They had reached the front door of Zitan's house, when Zack turned around and exclaimed, "I have a great idea! Let's go to a discotheque tonight and have fun! Welcome to the cabaret! It's time for a holiday! Life is a cabaret, so come to the cabaret! I'm leaving this ole town called Chelsea; I'm going like Elsie! And I love the cabaret!" he sang, missing most of the words to the song "Cabaret".  
  
"I won't have any fun without Zaria," Zeth said glumly, looking at the bright starry sky. He shivered, thinking of how cold the world seemed.  
  
"You will, I'll make sure of that," Zack pledged, a naughty grin on his face.  
  
"Let's see if Zitan wants to go too," Adrian decided, and knocked on the door. A few moments later, Zitan appeared without opening the door. He just seemed to form out of mist.  
  
"How do you do that?" Adrian asked, wide-eyed. Zitan laughed. "I used some Teleport magic to teleport me out here."  
  
"Awesome!" Zack exclaimed. "Hey Zitan, how about we guys go to the nightclub and have a guy's night out?" he proposed.  
  
Zitan grinned mischievously. "That's a good idea," he said. "And, I know the perfect place to go." He turned to Zeth and saw his sad expression. "Why the long face?" he said. "What happened? Had a fight with your girlfriend or what?"  
  
Zeth neither nodded nor shook his head, but just tilted his head and made a small sound in his throat. "Zaria's mad at me," he croaked. "Man, she just gets angry so easily! I mean, I said one thing and she took it in the worst way possible and just blew up at me!" he simpered uncharacteristically. "I'm telling you, it's all about the age difference," he insisted.  
  
"You sound like a baby, and that excuse is getting old," Zack teased.  
  
"I see," Zitan said. "Well, maybe tomorrow I can go to talk to Zaria for you." Zeth looked up at him gratefully.  
  
"Will you, really?" he asked.  
  
Zitan nodded. "But for now, follow me!"  
  
"Wait, how'd you figure out that Zaria and me are.?"  
  
* * *  
  
"I just can't believe him!" Zaria fumed, stomping on the floor. "The nerve!"  
  
"Don't torment yourself too much about it, Zaria," Cat said softly in a soothing voice.  
  
"Yeah, it jus' ain't worth it, so ya better cheer yerself up," Fuuko agreed, still trying to talk with a hill folk accent.  
  
"You might have misunderstood something he said," Breanna finally offered. "Zeth doesn't look like the type of guy that would say something insensitive to you."  
  
"Ah agree, he cares 'bout ya too much to do a dim-witted thing like that," Fuuko chimed in.  
  
Zaria flopped down on the bed. "Maybe I did," she admitted. "I don't know, but for some reason, my nerves were on the edge. I was like a bomb ready to explode, and then he . . . and then . . ." she trailed off.  
  
"What's wrong, Zaria?" Cat asked. Zaria shook her head.  
  
"I don't know, but I just have this feeling . . . maybe we don't want to find the Ice warrior. I don't know why," she said, burying her face in her hands.  
  
"Maybe you should go consult the stars," Breanna suggested. "Hey, doesn't Zitan have a Star magic orb?"  
  
Zaria nodded through her tears of frustration. "Then let's go to Zitan's house!" Cat exclaimed. "And, you can go see Zeth and reconcile!"  
  
Fuuko dragged Zaria off the bed. "Let's git, girl," she said. The four girls trooped out of the inn and walked across the village to Zitan's house.  
  
They stood in front of the front door. "Go ahead," Breanna instructed Zaria, nodding towards the door. Zaria took a deep breath and stepped up and knocked on the door. She waited, and no one came. Zaria turned back to Breanna and gave her a puzzled look, and then turned back and knocked again. They waited some more, yet no one came to the door.  
  
"I . . . don't think they're home," Cat said guardedly.  
  
"Where could they be?" Zaria wondered aloud.  
  
Breanna looked around, and saw bright lights coming from another structure on the other side of the road. "Wanna check there?" she asked pointedly, and Fuuko nodded.  
  
They crossed the road over to the building. In front of the door was a sign that said "Cold Cabaret".  
  
The girls looked at each other, each with the same thought on her mind. They nodded at each other and entered the club. Inside it was very crowded and the brightly colored lights and deafeningly loud music made Zaria's head spin. She felt like everything was whirling around her, and she tilted backward, where Cat caught her with great effort. "Whoa, Zaria, you're heavy!" Cat teased, but Zaria felt too sick to care. She crumpled down onto her knees, her world still in a blur. She moaned. As she caught a whiff of the alcoholic stench, a wave of nausea swept over her.  
  
"Get her out of here before she gets even more sick," Breanna instructed Cat. Breanna reached down and helped Zaria up. "Wait outside, okay? When you feel better you can come in." Zaria drowsily nodded, and leaned on Cat's shoulder, hobbling outside.  
  
It was cold outside, and the wind was howling, making Zaria feel lonely and sad as well as nauseous. Zaria sat down on the cold, hard sidewalk. Cat stood facing to the wind, hugging herself and shivering. "It's so cold out here," she said, pointing out the obvious. She glanced at Zaria out of the corner of her eye. "You must have disco-phobia or something," Cat said. "Not like I can stand those places for long."  
  
"I guess so," Zaria replied, her teeth chattering. She brought out some elixir from her coat pocket and brought the fluid to her lips and let some liquid slip down her throat. As it was absorbed into her bloodstream, she began to feel much better. She stood up and walked over to Cat. "Let's go in now," she said, pulling Cat's arm.  
  
Cat looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure, Zaria?" Cat asked, sounding concerned.  
  
Zaria nodded and held up her elixir. "I'll just keep on taking sips of this," Zaria informed her. She tugged Cat's arm and they reentered the disco hall.  
  
When they went in they saw Breanna and Fuuko standing at the bar, yelling at Zack and Zeth. Adrian and Zitan had sneaked onto the dance floor, and were trying to weave their way out of the crowd. Zaria took another sip of her elixir and took a deep breath. Cat turned to Zaria. "Let's get Zitan and Adrian," Cat said, a glint in her eye. Zaria gave her a strained smile and followed Cat, squeezing through the dancing people. Finally they reached Adrian and Zitan.  
  
"Yo! You there!" Cat shouted. "Don't try to hide from me!" Adrian and Zitan spotted Cat and gave up on trying to escape. They wove their way over to Cat and Zaria.  
  
"Explain yourself!" Cat demanded. "What?" Adrian said. "I can't hear you!" Cat gave an exasperated sigh and dragged Adrian and Zitan out of the disco. She turned back to Zaria. "Go see Fuuko!" she shouted, her yells blocking the deafening noise. Zaria nodded and sipped her elixir. She turned on her heel and head towards Fuuko, who looked very angry. Fuuko spotted Zaria coming over and gave Zeth a threatening look.  
  
"To think that she was coming over to reconcile, and here you are getting drunk and being unfaithful to her. What despicable behavior," she spat.  
  
"But I wasn't being unfaithful to Zaria!" Zeth protested. "I would never do such a thing! None of this is my fault!"  
  
"Shut up," Breanna hissed as Zaria approached the four of them.  
  
"Why did you come here, Zeth?" she asked him softly, her eyes full of hurt. "I didn't know that you were this type of person," she concluded, and turned away. Zack grabbed her shoulder, ignoring Fuuko's threatening glare.  
  
"Listen to me, Zaria," Zack demanded. "Zeth didn't want to come, but we made him come. He didn't drink any booze, nor did he dance with anyone, not even me! Zeth only cares about you! Just look at the poor guy! He's been moping about ever since you got mad at him. Just forgive him, Zaria. You misunderstood what he said."  
  
Zaria's gaze melted into tears. "I'll see you all tomorrow," she said, turning away. She didn't know what to think. She had gotten angry with him for such a petty reason, and now she felt stupid and cheap. In the morning she would deal with this, but now she felt too sick and weak to handle it. Her world began to blur again, and she dropped the bottle of elixir, the glass shattering. The music continued to blare, making her nauseous again. She felt a beeping sound resonating in her ears, and a bright white light seemed to shine from above, blinding her. The light seemed to seep into her head. It was agonizing, and she cried out and crumpled down to the floor, losing consciousness.  
  
"Zaria!" Zeth called, running after her, pushing his way through the crowd. He came upon Zaria, lying unconscious on the floor. There were shards of glass surrounding her, and some of them had left blood-red cuts on her fair skin. The cuts were not that severe, so why she had blacked out was a mystery. Yet Zeth did not care, all he cared about was that his precious Zaria was lying on the floor, hurt. "Zaria!" he cried, and rushed over to her and held her in his arms, holding her. Her eyes remained shut, but at least she was breathing. "Zaria, I'll never hurt you again," he whispered, tears leaking out of his eyes. Zack came up behind him.  
  
"Calm down, she isn't dead or anything," Zack said, sounding relieved.  
  
Fuuko and Breanna rushed to Zaria's side. "Get her to a doctor!" Fuuko cried, and instructed Zeth to pick her up. He did so, and rushed her out and into the nearest doctor's clinic. Breanna went to get Cat, Adrian, and Zitan.  
  
"I'm sorry, Zaria," Zeth whispered in Zaria's ear as he ran. Zack ran ahead of him and told the doctor what condition Zaria was in, and the doctor nodded and instructed Zeth to put her down on the bed.  
  
"Ya kin wait outside," the doctor instructed Zeth, and he went to the waiting room to join the others. He sat down and leaned over and buried his face in his hands.  
  
Zack patted his back. "She'll be all right," he soothed. Cat shook her head repeatedly.  
  
"It's all my fault," she moaned. "I should have been there to take care of her!"  
  
Breanna turned to all the guys. "We're not going to yell at you anymore, but don't ever do that again," she threatened. They guys nodded obediently, except for Zeth. He was too dejected to care. They all sat there waiting. They waited for fifteen minutes, and then the doctor came back out.  
  
"Ah've dressed her wounds," the doctor told them, "but ah still don't know why she has become unconscious. Ah know it ain't a concussion, but ah think it might have to do with something emotional or mental. It's like some force went into her brain and made her systems shut down. Ah don't know what it is, but it might be some sort of witchery or magic."  
  
Zeth looked up. "Can you help her?" he asked weakly. The doctor shook his head sadly.  
  
"Ah've done what ah kin, but this seems to be beyond medical abilities."  
  
Zeth's face crumpled and he once more sank into his state of depression.  
  
"What can we do?" Zack asked the doctor. The doctor stood in deep thought.  
  
"Ya could wait, and see what happens, or ya could go see someone who knows a lot about magic and mystical forces, and bring that person to examine the girl," the doctor informed him. Zack nodded.  
  
"Ya kids shouldn't be gittin' inta stuff like this at such a young age," the doctor lectured. Are any of ya over eighteen yet? This is serious business, ya know. Ah ain't goin' to ask for any records or anythin' but ah'm jus' tellin' ya ta be careful."  
  
"Yes, I'm nineteen, and this guy here is twenty-three," Fuuko said softly, referring to Zeth.  
  
Cat started crying openly, and Fuuko leaned over to console her. Breanna looked expressionless as usual, yet this time her blank stare looked sorrowful instead of indifferent. Zitan looked pained and Adrian looked apologetic.  
  
Will I ever get her back? Zeth thought to himself. He looked up abruptly. "I will do anything to get Zaria well again," he declared. "Let's go see Bink." He stood up. "I'm leaving for the Forest of the Elves now."  
  
"But Zeth," Zack interrupted, "it's already pretty late. We'll all go together tomorrow."  
  
Zeth shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "I'm going now," he repeated. "I'm going to see Bink. He's the one who can save Zaria."  
  
Zack shook his head. "Come on, man, wait one night," he whined. Zeth walked to the door and turned back to look at him.  
  
"I'm going to the Forest of the Elves now. If you're going tomorrow, see you then. Bye." He turned to leave.  
  
"Wait!" Cat exclaimed, brushing the last of her tears away. She grabbed Adrian's hand and dragged him over to Zeth. "We're going with you! How else are you going to find Bink's tree?" Adrian looked mystified, but just went along. A tiny hint of a smile curved the edges of Zeth's lips upwards.  
  
"Thank you," he said quietly. "Take care of Zaria for me, Zack." Zack nodded and then Zeth, Cat and Adrian left.  
  
  
  
I hope you're really getting more and more into this story.the story is so complex and complicated I had trouble remembering details.you're only on the suburbs of that complication, so read on! And please review and tell me when you want me to update! 


	7. Chapter 07 The Moon Maiden Artemis

Another informative chapter with introductions and character development.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Moon Maiden Artemis  
  
Zaria looked around. It was laborious to turn her head even to do that, for there was resistance in the air, the same kind of resistance that you felt when you were underwater.  
  
She was floating in some mass of verdant magic. She started to breathe, after holding her breath all this time, and was startled when she sucked in liquid. She choked and struggled, but there was no surface to reach. Finally she sucked the liquid into her lungs, and after that it was like she was breathing normally, except underwater.  
  
It's like I'm in liquid healing magic, she thought. How did she get there? Where was she? Then she remembered what had happened to her. She had been running from Zeth and then had felt dizzy . . . and rays of light had seeped into her head . . . their had been a long persistent beep that kept on resounding . . . then she had blacked out completely. And here she was. What was she to do now? She started swimming in one direction, but it led to nowhere. She looked all around herself. There was nothing, except a green background surrounding her. She had to keep moving in slow motion.  
  
"Where am I?" she shouted, to no one in particular. Her voice echoed and reverberated throughout the mass she was in. "WHERE AM I?" she screamed. Yet no one answered, and she was alone in a strange place. She started to cry out of frustration, but the tears didn't roll down her cheeks, they floated off her eyes into the space in front of her, which fascinated her, yet the tears still continued to flow.  
  
"Don't cry, Zaria," a gentle voice said. Zaria was startled. The voice sounded so similar to her own, but so much more melodious and dulcet, while hers was loud and clear. "Who is it?" she asked, frightened.  
  
A figure appeared before her. It was a beautiful majestic woman with hair as black as onyx, darker than the midnight. Her eyes were a glowing aquamarine color, the same color as Zeth's. Yet this woman's eyes seemed erudite, and they glowed with the effulgence of immortality. She was wearing snow-white armor that was intricate in detail, and had moon gems embedded in it here and there. She had translucent green reptilian wings, reminiscent to the wings of a dragon. Her knee-high boots were also white, and had moon gems in them as well. Underneath her armor was a short green pleated skirt. She was wearing metallic white armor gloves that went to a point at her elbow. In her hands were a snow-white bow and arrow that had moon gems scattered on it. The most remarkable feature about her was that on her forehead was a phosphorescent crescent moon, facing upwards so it looked similar to the Cheshire Cat's grin.  
  
"The question is, who are you?" the lady said. Zaria furrowed her brow in confusion.  
  
"Are you . . . Louvia?" Zaria asked hesitantly. The beautiful lady laughed delicately, an onerous feat to perform underwater, and smiled.  
  
"Yes, I am the Princess of the Moon, Princess Louvia."  
  
Zaria gasped. "Then I am one of your descendants," she realized aloud. Princess Louvia nodded.  
  
"Yes. And you are one of the most important ones of my descendants ever to grace this planet, for it is you, and you alone, who will decide the fate of this planet and all who dwell on it on the day of reckoning. Although others may have something to do with it, the choice of whether this particular planet will be saved or not depends on you."  
  
"What?" Zaria asked in confusion. "Me?" Princess Louvia laughed again. Her laughter was euphonious and sounded musical to Zaria's ears.  
  
"Yes, Zaria," she replied. "You are the bearer of Holy, the only force that can stop the Destruction," she continued, and her expression darkened. "The Destruction," Princess Louvia repeated darkly, "is the event that had to come, one way or another. In your reality, it is the Black Hole."  
  
Zaria tried to comprehend what the Princess had said, but didn't want to accept the burden. "But why me?" she asked tentatively.  
  
"Because you are the only one who can use the universal Holy, and you are a Locke, albeit one of the last. Your Holy is even more powerful than mine, for my Holy is only the Moon Holy. You will also be hindered by the continuous attacks of the enemies of Humans that will weaken you and sap your strength. To stop the Destruction, you must invoke the Ultimate Blessing to Banish Evil, but I can not grant you the ability to do so, for it is an ability hidden deep inside you, only to be summoned once to give the universal blessing once. I can only grant you the ability to use Holy, and you must develop your abilities throughout your quest. But, there are consequences for invoking such a mighty power, and if you are not strong enough, then it will be the cause of your death."  
  
Zaria listened intently, and slowly nodded, ultimately accepting her fate. "I understand, Princess Louvia," she said softly. Princess Louvia's gaze softened.  
  
"It aggrieves me to see one so lovely, young, and hopeful have to be burdened so heavily, but it is necessary. You are going to have to make a decision, a very important one. The choice you make is up to you alone."  
  
"What choice?" Zaria asked. Princess Louvia shook her head. "My dear, I can not tell you. I can only tell you that when that time comes, to follow your heart, and heed no one but yourself."  
  
Zaria felt weak in her heart. She nodded. "I understand, even though I don't want to. But how come, if it is destined for me to make an unfortunate choice, that I have been given a second chance to live my life with Zeth?"  
  
Princess Louvia gave her an apologetic look. "Oh Zaria, things are not always what they seem."  
  
"What does that mean?" Zaria demanded. Princess Louvia shook her head again.  
  
"You will know," she said mysteriously. "For now, take my hand."  
  
Princess Louvia extended one delicately gloved hand over to Zaria. Zaria reached out and touched Princess Louvia's hand with her fingertips. A bright green light crawled into her hand, and started enveloping her entire body. It felt so wonderful, yet so agonizing. She was being transported, but not back to her own world yet . . .  
  
* * *  
  
"Whew! That was tiring!" Cat exclaimed, wiping the sweat off her brow.  
  
"Sorry," Zeth replied.  
  
"It's all right, don't worry about it," Adrian inserted.  
  
"Well, here we are in front of Bink's house," Cat said, staring up at the large tree house. "I think last time Bink said something about an elevator . . ."  
  
She put her hands on the bark and tried to use her sense of touch to find the hidden button. "Oh @#$%! Can't find the damn thing!" she swore. She stood there trying to figure out how to find the button. "I know!" she exclaimed. "I'll use my electricity waves! Electro Wave!" she shouted, and a wave of electricity passed through the area. "Oh, I can sense where it is," said Cat, and she went over to that spot. "But I still can't see it . . ." she continued to feel around.  
  
Zeth knelt down beside her and put his hand on the base of the tree. "Ultima light," he muttered, and all of a sudden, everything was in X-ray vision. Cat was successfully able to locate the button, and she pressed it with a flourish. The ground underneath them rose, riding on the air, transporting them up to the front door of Bink's home. While they were traveling upwards, Zeth removed the Ultima Light spell, and everything went back to normal.  
  
The moon was bright in the sky now, and it was in a crescent shape, illuminating white light. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Zeth looked up at the moon and stars. "I'm coming for you, Zaria," he whispered to himself.  
  
A few moments later the elevator stopped, and the three stepped off and Cat went and knocked on Bink's door. Not long after that, Terra herself answered the door.  
  
"Diana, dear!" Terra exclaimed, looking at Cat. "What brings you here at this time of night?"  
  
"I'm sorry to bother you," Cat apologized quickly.  
  
"Oh no, dear, it's quite all right. Have you come to see Bink, dear?" Terra asked.  
  
"Actually, it is my friend Zeth who has come," Cat said, nodding towards Zeth. Zeth bowed his head to Terra. "He must speak to Bink immediately."  
  
Terra nodded understandingly and let Cat, Adrian and Zeth come in. "Go right to his observatory, dears, he won't be sleeping yet," Terra told them. "I'll make you some tea and set up a place for you three to sleep tonight, dears."  
  
"Thank you very much," Zeth and Adrian thanked Terra at the same time.  
  
"Come on, guys!" Cat exclaimed, and she led the way towards Bink's observatory.  
  
Bink was, as expected, observing the stars. "The stars gave me a important message today," he said, acknowledging their presence without turning around. "It's about the moon." He turned to the three abruptly. "Isn't one of your friends a descendant of the Moon Sorceress Louvia?"  
  
Cat stepped up into the observatory. "Grandfather Bink, this is my friend Zeth Lanier, and you know Adrian."  
  
"The one with the all powerful Destruction magic has come to see me," Bink said, his eyebrows raised. "Does this, perchance, have to do with the Moon Princess's descendant? The Moon Maiden Artemis, who will liberate the cradle of humanity from the Destruction with the Universal Holy?"  
  
Zeth raised his eyes. "I do not know if Zaria is the Moon Maiden Artemis you speak of, but I have come to ask you to save her," he said softly. "She is sick, and won't get better, and it isn't a medical condition."  
  
"Let's see about that," Bink said, and he pulled his hands apart, producing a swirl of bluish light. He spread his arms out and the blue light formed into a large floating sphere, and an image appeared on it. It was Zaria, lying in the doctor's clinic.  
  
"Zaria!" Zeth exclaimed weakly.  
  
Bink looked at him and nodded. "This is the physical condition that she is in now," Bink told him. Zeth nodded, gazing at the image of Zaria. The image changed into a verdant swirling mass of light, and Zeth could see the subtle outline of a feminine body, which looked very much like Zaria. "This," Bink said, "is where she really is."  
  
Zeth wrinkled his brow in confusion. "How can she be there? Where is that place?" Zeth asked.  
  
Bink smiled. "It is the entrance to the Moon Kingdom. I believe she is entering the Moon Kingdom right now. After all, she is the descendant of the Princess and Prince of the Moon."  
  
"How did she get there? Why is she there?" Zeth continued to fire his questions at Bink.  
  
"Calm down, son," Bink said. "Her soul was transported there temporarily; she'll be back. As for the reason she is there, even the stars do not know."  
  
"Oh . . . thank you," Zeth said softly. He looked up again. "So Zaria will be all right?" Bink nodded, smiling at him. "Will she be back soon?" Zeth asked tentatively. Bink laughed, his robes bouncing up and down with his mirth. Zeth scowled.  
  
"Don't worry too much, Warrior of Ultima, your significant other will be returned to you soon, safe and sound, though her heart may have changed."  
  
"So Zaria is all right!" Cat exclaimed, and jumped up and down in happiness. Adrian smiled. He turned to Bink. "Thank you, Bink. You have relieved us of a great deal of anxiety."  
  
"I don't think he's feeling that much better," Bink said mirthfully, pointing at Zeth.  
  
Zeth looked up, his eyes dull. "I can't rest until Zaria is back safely in my arms," he said, and turned away. "I know that the stars tell you all, Bink, but . . . I can't help being worried about Zaria."  
  
Bink nodded at him understandingly. "I know. I had young love once, and I know what it's like to have someone be your whole universe," he said, a longing look in his old eyes. Cat gave him a prying look.  
  
"Can you tell us about it, Bink?" she asked curiously. The longing look on Bink's face disappeared.  
  
"You want to hear my story?" he said incredulously. They all nodded, eager to hear about Bink. Bink sighed. "I suppose I can tell you," he began. "Yeah!" Cat exclaimed, jumping for joy.  
  
"Let me start," Bink chastised. "As you all know, I have lived for many centuries, and my story started many hundred years ago, when I was a strapping young elf, insipid and foolish, yet I was considered rather handsome for an elf. Therefore, I held myself with an air that only an elf that knew that he was strong and good-looking would. I longed for adventure, longed for a chance to prove to the world that I could be someone who could help others by fighting. One day, a group of travelers happened to pass by the Forest of the Elves, and they stayed a night in the Ocarina Inn, which happened to be owned by my parents. I was passing through the dining hall thoughtlessly when I saw the group of travelers. They were a fascinating group of people, almost as remarkable as you young folk. I was to find out that they were on a mission similar to yours, except that they failed, and that was what caused the first spark that would lead to the explosions and destruction of life in the Mage War, that was to occur in the next few centuries. Their group consisted of a human man named Vahn, a human woman named Chlorine, two elves from a different continent named Dawn and Eve, a werewolf named Kort, and two fairies named Helios and Luna. No, they weren't twins like Dawn and Eve, for they were not even remotely related. They just happened to be two fairies, each wielding a different power. Helios had the power of the Sun, and Luna had the power of the Moon. They both had gossamer wings and elven ears, for they were fairies.  
  
"Vahn was a gentle looking young man with chatlin hair, a mixture of golden and brown. Although his eyes were a plain looking gray, his gaze was penetrating, and when he looked at you, it seemed like his pupils were just black holes in swirling masses of gray smoke. His personality matched his appearance, but he didn't seem to have any special abilities, besides his martial arts techniques. He was very good with the fist, as good as your friend Breanna is supposed to be. Chlorine was a vivacious vixen with an aggressive personality, and her hair was a dark shade of green, for her mother was a forest nymph. Dawn was a bright and cheery elven maiden, with a sunlit countenance and joyous disposition. Eve was an obscure and mysterious elven maiden who always seemed to know the answers to everything, yet was as dark and secretive about them as the night. She didn't talk to many people, so I didn't know much about her, except that she might have been omniscient. Kort the werewolf was about as enigmatic as Eve, and I didn't know much about him either. All I knew was that he had some sort of dark history, and he could utilize sorcery. In his human form, he looked rather similar to Adrian. Helios was a fairy whose presence reminded you of the rays of warmth coming from the sun, bathing you in its warm light. He had flaming scarlet hair and wore gold, vermilion, saffron and orange, and his gauzy wings were like woven flax. Luna was a angelic and serene young fairy, and she reminded you of the moon, with her platinum-blue tinted hair and dark cerulean eyes with flecks of platinum in them. Her features were sweet and diminutive. She wore silver, sapphire, amethyst and snow-white apparel, and her gauzy wings were like woven strands of silver thread. She was undeniably radiant, and reflected the effulgence of the moon. She had a calm demeanor, and was very sensible in all situations. The moment I saw Luna, with the moonstone gems shining in her hair, I couldn't help but go and offer my services to her.  
  
"Back then, magic was different, as was many other things. There were many kinds of creatures and crossbreeds that do not exist now. Now, none of the fairy folk have pointy ears such as Luna and Helios had. It turned out that Luna and Helios were the last of their subspecies, and they were expected to be wed when they came of age, but I ruined all that, therefore eliminating any future chance of survival of that subspecies of fairies."  
  
"How'd you do that?" Cat asked, her attention riveted. Bink looked sad.  
  
"Just wait, child. I'm coming to it. Patience is a virtue, Diana. Nevertheless, Luna accepted my offer, and I traveled with the eccentric group. It turned out that they had been summoned by King Sevar to fulfill their duty as Star Warriors. They each had a symbol of stars on their forehead that glowed when their power was invoked. They had been born to keep the continent safe, and if they succeeded in their missions, there would be no heinous revolutions, no unnecessary bloodshed of the innocent, virtuous people of this continent. At the time, this continent was called Sin. Today, it is a nameless continent, but those in other continents call this continent Nova. In my heart, my home will always be Sin, for that was the place where all of my beloved friends lived and existed. It was unascertained whether I was one of the star warriors or not, but I would be able to help them on their quest anyway. Their quest was unknown to outsiders; only a Star Warrior would be allowed to know.  
  
"Luna and I had a unique relationship from the start, for we were kindred souls. Even though Luna knew that it was her onus to marry Helios when the quest was over, she did not love Helios in such a manner, and Helios loved another. Helios and I were quite close. I can still remember . . . when Helios and I were having our heart to heart talks . . ."  
  
"I don't want to marry Luna," Helios admitted, looking down at his hands. Inside, Bink's heart leaped with joy, but externally his expression did not change.  
  
"Why is that?" he prodded gently.  
  
"Because!" Helios burst, "I do not love her! I care for her as a sister, nothing more! And also . . . never mind . . . you'd call me a idiot for my foolishness."  
  
Bink smiled. "You know I would never call you an idiot, Helios," he said. "For you should already know that you are one!"  
  
"Oh, funny!" Helios said derisively. "I know that you take a liking to Luna, Bink." Bink shook his head vigorously.  
  
"NO, I don't," he denied forcefully. Helios laughed his warm laugh, his conduct bright and teasing.  
  
"Don't deny it, Bink," he said. "You can tell me. Whatever feelings we have now won't mean anything later," he said, shrugging.  
  
Bink sighed. "So get to the point and tell me what you want to tell me, because I know you're itching to tell me something, Helios."  
  
Helios grinned. "All right. You know about Dawn and Eve and me, right?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I can conceive how you can be fond of her, you two are so much alike," Bink said, nodding.  
  
"No, no, no!" Helios exclaimed, shaking his head. "It's not Dawn . . . it's her twin sister, Eve. Dawn reminds me too much of my own sister, because she looks and acts too much like me! Eve . . . is as mysterious and arcane as the night. I know she's a sharp contrast of myself, but that's what draws me to her! I don't know . . . she's just so distant to me."  
  
"Eve?" Bink exclaimed. "Eve? Wow! Who would've thought? Ha! Well, go for it, Helios!"  
  
Helios grinned mischievously. "Now that I've revealed my deep, dark secret, tell me yours!"  
  
Bink laughed, and shook his head. "Fine. I do have a partiality to Luna. She is a very decent person.as beautiful as the moon in full splendor. Man, I can't believe I'm saying this to you, the very person who has to wed her once this quest is over."  
  
Helios gave him a sympathetic smile. "I understand how you feel," he said softly. Bink gazed at him in surprise; he had never seen Helios with such a calm, gentle, serene expression on his face before. He looked a lot like . . . Luna. Thinking of that made Bink's heart ache. Luna and Helios were meant for each other . . . he shouldn't stand in the way of their destiny. Helios' fascination with Eve would pass, and then Bink would be the only one in the way of their fate . . . he couldn't allow himself to be the one to do that.  
  
"I only wanted for Luna and Helios to be happy," Bink continued sadly. The words choked on his throat and he sat down and took a deep breath.  
  
"But then after a while, it was found out that I was actually a Star Warrior. I was the Star Warrior of Knowledge. I could effortlessly interpret information off of the stars. All the Star warriors began to accept me, to look at me in a different way. I was one of them. Luna was ecstatic. She thought that would make everything that was going on between us all right, but I knew it was not so. I felt so uncomfortable accepting their kindness, for they were all very good to me. You see, I was troubled and confused.and I felt tainted. I felt like I was in the way of what was meant to be. Eventually, Eve warmed up to Helios; it seemed like maybe he was using his sun magic to warm her heart towards him," Bink said, chuckling. Then his expression turned dark again.  
  
"But, then all of our happiness was shattered. We were unsuccessful in our mission, and King Sevar's well-built kingdom fell. It was our fault, for we had overlooked the last crystal that we were supposed to gather, and when the time came we were short one crystal and no one knew about it or where it was. Then it was too late. The hole opened, and then everyone began falling through, falling into other dimensions. The only ones who could possibly have been saved were Helios and Luna, but they sacrificed themselves for me. I can still recall . . ."  
  
"Bink!" Luna exclaimed, grabbing on his hand just before he fell into another dimension. Helios appeared beside her.  
  
"Eve's gone!" he cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.  
  
"Help me hold onto Bink!" Luna cried, turning to Helios. Helios reached down and grabbed on Bink's other hand. He struggled to pull Bink up. Luna and Helios fluttered their wings, but there was no use, for the wind surrounding them would blow them away.  
  
"Luna! Helios! Just let go of me and live!" Bink cried, his dark hair whipping across his face. "Be prosperous together and sustain the succession of the fairies!"  
  
He let go of Luna's hand but Luna managed to reach down further to grasp him, and in doing so she slipped down so Helios caught her.  
  
"I'll never let go!" she cried. Her platinum-blue hair flew upwards away from her face. She turned and nodded to Helios who concentrated, and his flaming red hair flew up from his face. The star on each of their foreheads illuminated, and glowed. Helios' star was a fiery gold, where Luna's was shining silver.  
  
"It is important you live, Bink, for you are the Star Warrior of Knowledge, and you'll need to pass on your great knowledge to future warriors," said Luna, smiling gently at him. She cringed as a lapse of pain hit her, and Helios cried out in anguish as well when it reached him. The magic was taking away from their life force. He recovered and slowly turned to Bink.  
  
"Guide the next warriors! For you will live for many centuries, Bink! I will take care of Luna in heaven until we meet you there, don't worry. When the time comes, our paths will cross again!" Helios shouted to Bink as the wind blew stronger and stronger. He then slowly faded into an aura of golden light, smiling softly at Bink.  
  
"No, Helios," Bink lamented, reaching out for his friend.  
  
"We'll always be with you, Bink!" Luna cried as she began to evaporate.  
  
"NO!" Bink shouted, and he grasped her in his embrace. She put her hand on his cheek and a silver tear fell from her eye.  
  
"I'll be here," she said softly, and she faded into an aura of silver light.  
  
"Luna!" Bink sobbed, falling to his knees. The golden and silver light surrounded him, bathing him in its divinity. His body felt rejuvenated and ageless, yet he had lost the two most important people in his life. He didn't know what to do. Where would he go from now? What would happen to him without Luna and Helios?  
  
"And that's why I've lived for so long," Bink said quietly, tears falling down his wrinkled cheeks. "My time is yet to come, for I still have quite a few centuries left. Luna and Helios left me the gift of transitory timelessness for several centuries, although I have physically aged quite a bit," he said quietly.  
  
"Oh my," Cat said, her eyes shining with tears. "Grandfather Bink . . . I would have like to met Luna and Helios."  
  
Bink nodded. "And they would have adored you, Diana, but they are gone now. A few aeons after that, I met Terra. She was the crystal, the crystal that had been missing on that fateful day. I know it's difficult to understand, but we could've sent someone in the future to retrieve Terra, but it was too late. You see, her soul is the sixth crystal of Star. Eventually, she will die as normal humans do. I can't say I adulate her they way I cherished Luna, but she has taken very good care of me over the years, and she still continues to do so."  
  
"So Terra's soul is the crystal?" Adrian exclaimed incredulously. Bink nodded sadly.  
  
"To think that if I had only looked into the future that the stars had foreseen . . . and retrieved Terra . . . then Luna and Helios would have lived.as well as everyone else. But, I failed. And I lost so much to pay for my failure. But then again, if we had gotten Terra, then she would have been killed in the process of retrieving the crystal . . . I just don't know whether what happened was right or not."  
  
Zeth's eyes were sad as he gazed at Bink. "I understand you a little better now, Bink," he said quietly. Bink smiled a small smile.  
  
"I should hope so. Now, go to sleep, and tomorrow go back to Icicle, so when Zaria awakens, you will be there to receive her. Zeth nodded.  
  
"Thank you," he said softly, and left the room.  
  
"Thank you, Bink," Adrian said, and followed Zeth. Cat's eyes overflowed with her tears.  
  
"Grandfather Bink!" she exclaimed, and ran over to hug him, a display of affection that Bink hadn't expected.  
  
Bink's old eyes brightened. "Follow the path you are meant to take, Princess Diana," Bink whispered. He then pulled away and smiled at her encouragingly. "Go, child," he said. "Don't bother waking me up tomorrow, just go back to Icicle where Zeth can be with his Zaria once more."  
  
Cat nodded dutifully and left the room, armed with her new wisdom about Bink. So many people around her had been through so many hardships, and they were still the wonderful people that they were today. She would try to be as strong as them, and she would help her friends save the planet . . . save everyone she loved and cared for, and everyone they loved and cared for. She looked up the glass ceiling into the night sky, almost able to feel the breeze of dusk lightly kissing her cheeks. The stars seemed to flicker iridescently with all their knowledge, and Cat felt proud of Bink, proud that he was the Star Warrior of Knowledge, but even if he hadn't been, she would have esteemed him as her grandfather anyway. She then entered the guestroom prepared and went to sleep, resting for tomorrow, another day.  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh, this place is beautiful, it's the place I've dreamed of all my life," Zaria breathed, taking in the scenery of the Moon Kingdom that was ruled by her ancestors. The silver fireworks in the lovely azure star-speckled sky, the sound of festivity and music everywhere, all the moon people, whom except for their filmy silvery wings looked like normal humans with a cloud of tranquil elegance surrounding them.  
  
Princess Louvia smiled to herself. Yes, she did rule this kingdom, but she wasn't yet the queen. The kingdom did not have a king or queen, only a prince and princess. Oh, how Louvia longed for the day when she would be recognized as Queen of the Moon, but the Moon Goddess Selene had said that she would only grant that once the time was right. Right now, Louvia had to focus on helping her descendant play a major role in either the salvation or destruction of the planet, but preferably it would be the former. She would have to nudge Zaria in the right direction, for this Locke was special. She was the very rare Moon Maiden Artemis, the maiden that would only grace the planet once every universal change. Very seldom was the universe destroyed and started from scratch, so very seldom did a Moon Maiden Artemis appear to stay for a while.  
  
"I'm glad you like my kingdom," Princess Louvia said softly, gazing at the platinum pillars of her palace. "We shall now enter the Lunar Solstice Palace, where Claude is waiting to see you." She used her magic to rapidly teleport herself and Zaria into the palace. They were standing in the Room of the Divine Moon, where Princess Louvia had arranged for Zaria to meet Prince Claude.  
  
"Where are we?" Zaria asked Princess Louvia in wonder.  
  
Princess Louvia smiled. It felt so refreshing to experience the wonders of her kingdom with a fresh pair of young, naïve eyes.  
  
"We are in the Room of the Divine Moon, and Prince Claude should be here shortly."  
  
As if Prince Claude had heard what Princess Louvia had been saying, he promptly entered the room, looking tall, handsome and debonair; everything a prince should be. He was clad in his silver armor and glittering cape, made of purely spun moonlight woven into a heavy cloth that had been draped on his broad shoulders. On his back were the same dragon-like wings that Princess Louvia had.  
  
"Zaria Locke," Prince Claude pronounced clearly, gazing at Zaria. He shook his hair out of his eyes, revealing the crescent moon glowing on his forehead as he gazed at her with an impish look in his eyes. Zaria couldn't stop staring at him. He was one of her ancestors? He was as handsome as Princess Louvia was beautiful, with Zeth's soft burnt honey colored hair, and Zaria's own crystalline emerald green eyes. His features were striking, and Zaria could see much of her brother, Zitan, in him. She finally shook herself out of the enchanting aura surrounding Prince Claude and curtsied deeply.  
  
"I am Zaria, your majesty," she said, her head bowed down. Prince Claude walked over to her and lifted her chin up. She slowly rose, his gaze once more locked on hers.  
  
"Zaria, my child, I have been watching over you for almost a century," he said, chuckling. "You seemed to have had a longer life span than most mortals."  
  
Zaria's facial features softened into an amiable expression. "Yes, your majesty," she replied, feeling unnatural to have such a young and beautiful man call her "child".  
  
"Oh child, do not call me 'majesty'. Just address me as Claude, for I think it would be better than saying Infinity Great Grandfather, wouldn't you say?" Prince Claude said.  
  
Zaria slowly nodded. "All right . . . Claude," she replied. Prince Claude smiled his debonair smile, his emerald eyes twinkling.  
  
"Louvia, does Zaria know why she was brought here?" he asked Princess Louvia. The lovely princess nodded.  
  
"All that is left is to initiate Zaria into the mysteries and secrets of Holy, and bestow on her the power to use it. Zaria understands the burden that has been thrust down upon her, the poor child," Princess Louvia said, stroking Zaria's hair.  
  
Zaria slowly looked up. "Princess Louvia, Prince Claude, can you grant me one wish?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
"Of course, although it is a small favor in exchange of what you must do for the planet," said Prince Claude.  
  
"Well, could you make sure that . . . Zeth Lanier will live happily, no matter what happens to me?" Zaria asked. Princess Louvia glanced at Prince Claude, who nodded.  
  
"I will try my best," he said, "for I know what it is like to be young and in love," he continued, looking over at Princess Louvia with a teasing grin on his face. The princess blushed and turned back to Zaria.  
  
"Zaria, now we must go and start the process of transferring the universal Holy magic and abilities into your body, which will take a while, and will be an exhausting process," she said. "But first, let's all get out of this armor and wear something a little more comfortable, so we look like the royalty we are."  
  
Prince Claude laughed. "Oh no, she's going to go completely overboard with this one," he chuckled, as Princess Louvia whispered a spell and then magic dust spread around the room, and when it reached the three they were elegantly clad and smelled like roses.  
  
Prince Claude was wearing his same moonlight cape, except his wings had vanished and he was no longer wearing armor, but apparel fitting for a prince. Princess Louvia's wings had disappeared as well, and she was garbed in a lovely but simple evening dress. It was a thin-strapped silver gown with a full skirt that reached her ankles, and on her arms were long white gloves that reached up above her elbows. Her long black hair was flowing around her. Around her neck was a lovely moonstone gem in the shape of a crescent. On her forehead her crescent moon shone brightly. Zaria was wearing the same gloves, and same style dress, but her gown was white and purple, starting white at her waist and darkening into a deep violet on its way down to her ankles. The bodice had an intricate purple- on-white design on it, and on her neck was a moonstone as well, but Zaria's was in the shape of a full moon. Set in her lustrous chocolate hair was a glittering frosty diadem. Zaria gasped when she saw all the finery.  
  
"This is what you call comfortable royal clothing?" she squeaked at Princess Louvia. She nodded, laughing. "Yes, and you look beautiful, my child. Beautiful. You look exactly how a child of Claude and myself would look, and you've inherited all the good qualities from both of us. Because you see, both your parents are members of the Locke clan, but so distant that they don't know it."  
  
Zaria gasped. She had never known that before . . . her parents had both been part of the Locke family? Surely her father had known, for his last name was Locke, but her mother . . . her sweet and gentle mother who had passed away when Zaria was only five . . . she was a Locke?  
  
"Don't look so surprised, my dear," said the princess. "The Locke family is quite massive . . . there are hundreds of Locke children out there, in fact, and they don't even know it. Therefore they are not genuine Locke descendants. Many of them are descendants of Claude's siblings, lacking my blood completely. You are one of the most special, for you are one of the purest and you are the Moon Maiden Artemis."  
  
"Um, thank you," Zaria said, abashed, not really understanding what Princess Louvia had said. Here they were, two gorgeous people who looked not much older than herself, talking like they were her parents.  
  
"I shall go and make the arrangements for Zaria's journey back to the planet," Prince Claude said, waving his hand. "See you in a while, Zaria." He then disappeared into thin air.  
  
Princess Louvia reached over to take Zaria's hand. "Come this way," she said, pulling Zaria. She teleported Zaria to a very large, stark white room. In the room was magic dust scattered everywhere in the air. There were heavy swirls of it in some corners. Zaria looked around, confused, and even more so when she saw Princess Louvia disappearing.  
  
"Wait, Princess Louvia!" she exclaimed. "Where am I, and where are you going?"  
  
Then she heard Princess Louvia's voice. "Don't worry, I am right outside, and I can see you. You are in the Magic Invocation Room and I am about to invoke Universal Holy, and it will come into your body, and after that you will wield great power. I am warning you, the experience might be painful, and for that reason there is a mattress to lie down on if you feel uncomfortable."  
  
Zaria looked around despairing and to her relief, there was a place to lie down, but it was no simple mattress, but a glowing canopied bed. She walked over and sat down.  
  
"I shall invoke it now, Zaria. Please, be strong," said Princess Louvia's voice. A few moments later, Zaria could feel the magic dust in the air intensifying immensely, and soon it became so thick that she could barely breathe. She sat there, choking, until the magic dust settled into a large spherical shape of greenish-white light in the middle of the room. The magic dust was swallowed up completely by this mass of swirling white light, which had a bright glow to it that blinded Zaria. She shielded her eyes and squinted towards the light. The light darkened, and became black, and the blackness engulfed the entire room. Zaria became frightened. Was this what Holy was supposed to do? She sat back, shaking. The black became the night sky, and stars appeared, forming the shapes and constellations that were familiar to Zaria, and made her relax a little. Then, the stars started to swirl around, and then sank into a hole in the middle. Everything began to sink into the hole.  
  
"The Black Hole," Zaria whispered, terrified. The hole continued to suck in everything in sight, and it began to suck Zaria in as well. "Help!" she shouted, trying to grasp on something, but everything was going in with her.  
  
"Princess Louvia, help me!" she screamed hysterically, but there was no comforting voice from Princess Louvia telling her everything was under control, that everything would be all right. Zaria was completely sucked in to the hole. Her screams were swallowed up by darkness and she knew no more.  
  
* * *  
  
Zeth was the first one who rushed into the doctor's clinic the next morning, where Zack had fallen asleep in the waiting room. He quickly shook Zack awake.  
  
"Zack, has Zaria come to yet?" he practically shouted as soon as Zack's eyes opened. Zack slowly sat up and focused his drowsy eyes on Zeth. He shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry, man. Did you bring Bink with you?"  
  
Zeth's eyes clouded over and he shook his head. "No need to, because right now her consciousness is with her ancestors on the moon. She is the Moon Maiden Artemis."  
  
Zack's eyes widened. "Well, I don't even know what you're talking about, so just explain later," he said thoughtlessly.  
  
Zeth nodded again. "Is anyone in there with her?" he asked Zack.  
  
"Yeah, I'm here," said Fuuko, walking out of the room. "The doctor went home so I stayed with Zaria during the night. Breanna went to the inn and Zitan went home."  
  
"Oh," Zeth said insecurely. "Thank you, Fuuko. If you both don't mind, I'm going in to see Zaria by myself. He left the room just as Cat and Adrian entered from the doorway.  
  
Zeth walked towards Zaria's bed, and knelt down beside her and took her cold hand into his. He stayed there, gazing softly at Zaria, until he heard Cat coming in behind him.  
  
"Zaria looks so cute when she's sleeping!" Cat said cheerfully, trying to lighten up the gloomy atmosphere. Zeth gave her a sad smile and turned back to Zaria. The tears that he had been holding back began flooding his eyes, but he wouldn't permit them to emerge.  
  
Zaria! He thought internally. If you won't wake up, I will make you! He then impulsively stood up and picked up Zaria and slung her onto his back. "W-What are you doing?" Cat stammered as Zeth left the room. Zeth continued to walk straight towards the exit.  
  
"What the #$%^ are you doing?" Zack swore as Zeth left. Fuuko ran after him.  
  
"Zeth, where are you taking Zaria?" she asked in a remarkably calm tone, while Zack was cursing behind her.  
  
"I'm taking her to where we were before," Zeth said softly, as if in a trance. "She will come back to me there." Fuuko shook her head.  
  
"Zeth, you're making a mistake! Her condition might get worse out there in the cold! Please, just bring her back in!"  
  
Zeth shook his head in refusal. "No," he said, sounding very determined. "Goodbye, Fuuko." He continued to walk, leaving Fuuko standing there.  
  
He walked for a long, long time, and he was chilled to the bone, but he kept on walking with the unconscious Zaria on his back until they reached the shelter that they had been in many times during the war. This place was the place that they had spent many cold nights huddling with many others for warmth and comfort, a place where many secrets and stories had been shared. He walked into the hidden shelter in which he and Zaria were the only ones remaining who knew the entrance. In the sixty years that had passed, it had not changed all that much, except that now it was completely abandoned.  
  
Zeth lovingly lay Zaria down on one of the mattresses. Her whole body looked deathly ashen, and her fingers were icy cold. She looked so childlike when she was asleep, even back then. She hardly ever looked like she was a warrior. He remembered . . . even back then . . .  
  
"I'm using as much of my magic as I can, but it won't work," Zaria cried.  
  
"All he needs is some rest, Zaria, calm down," said Galen. Zeth's vision was blurring, and the only thing he could see was Zaria and Galen. They were hovering worriedly above him, and although Galen's tone was calm, his eyes were full of concern.  
  
"Zeth, are you all right?" Zaria asked him. The words echoed in his mind. He opened his mouth to reply but only a groan came out. Zaria tenderly laid a chilled cloth on his forehead, and the heat throughout his body slightly subsided. Galen turned to Zaria and seemed to be exchanging dialogue with her, but Zeth couldn't comprehend what they were saying. Everything around him began turning white.and he knew no more.  
  
Zeth slowly lifted his heavy eyelids open. Zaria was sitting next to his mattress. "Zaria," he said softly, but she didn't respond. "Zaria," Zeth repeated, a little louder this time, but then Zeth heard Zaria snore softly. Oh, she was sleeping. Then he wouldn't disturb her. But why had Zaria fallen asleep there? Was she.taking care of him? She had been by his side all this time? He lay there, watching Zaria in her peaceful slumber.  
  
He made a strenuous attempt to sit up. It was excruciating, and he automatically moaned in pain. Zaria's eyes flew open. "Zeth!" she exclaimed. "You should be resting!" She pushed his shoulders back down forcefully. He gasped as his back slammed on the mattress. "Oh, sorry!" Zaria exclaimed, dismayed. "Zeth, are you feeling better?"  
  
He strained a smile and nodded, although she had just knocked the wind out of him. "Yes, I'm better." Zaria had smiled her sweet smile and started coughing violently. She doubled over and continued to cough. "Zaria, are you all right?" Zeth said in a panicked tone, his concern for Zaria stronger than his pain. He looked around frantically. Where had Galen gone? Zaria tried to nod her head as she continued to cough violently. Zeth quickly got up. "Lie down," he commanded, but then she coughed so hard that she passed out. Zeth picked her up and laid her on the mattress.  
  
Although he was not completely well himself, he watched over Zaria, for she had caught an infectious affliction that was possibly fatal. One moment, she would be tossing and turning with a high fever, and he would lay a cool cloth on her forehead. The next moment, she would be shivering and shaking with the chills, and he would spread another blanket over her. Sometimes, she would go into short periods where she wasn't sleeping, and wasn't quite awake, and Zeth would sit by her side in fear that she would never wake up, but she always did. She remained in that state for a week, but then she eventually got better.  
  
And she would wake up this time as well, Zeth thought fiercely. She would wake up. Although Bink had told Zeth that there was nothing to worry about, Zeth still felt like Zaria was going through some sort of pain, and she might not make it through. "Zaria, be strong," he whispered, grasping her frail hand.  
  
* * *  
  
Zaria slowly opened her eyes. Peachy keen, she thought. For the millionth time, she had no idea where she was. It seemed like she was floating in white space. She sighed and let herself continue to float. All of a sudden she heard the sound of a magic spell being cast and she focused her eyes in the direction of the sound. She saw a sparkling green flash of light coming towards her. It looked like a falling star. It kept on zooming closer until finally, it went through her heart into her body. She cried out in pain, and clutched her chest in agony. She felt like her entire body was on heavenly fire, for it hurt, but at the same time it felt so divine that she knew it wasn't something evil. The pain seared throughout her entire body, but no matter what she did, nothing would relieve it. She cried out, but no one came. Finally, she just let her body slump; the beads of sweat forming on her face and body. She was too tired to continue to struggle although the agony was as fierce as ever. She slowly shut her eyes. "Holy," she rasped before she knew no more.  
  
Zaria was fully awake, but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. Her body wasn't aching or sore, even after the painful ordeal that she had been through, but she felt exhausted. She slowly pulled herself up and shifted her gaze downward. She was still wearing the pretty dress, and smelled fresh and clean. She groaned, for her head was throbbing.  
  
"Zaria . . . Zaria . . . Zaria . . . are you there, Zaria?" came Princess Louvia's voice. Zaria mustered up all the strength she had left and weakly shouted her reply.  
  
"Yes, Princess Louvia."  
  
The door of the room slowly creaked open, and Princess Louvia was standing there with a worried expression on her face. She saw Zaria and ran over to her.  
  
"Oh, Zaria, you poor dear, was that painful? The magnitude of the power that was attracted into you was wondrously great! I hardly expected that much! Oh dear, that must have been radically agonizing! Zaria, Zaria, are you all right?"  
  
Zaria managed to nod. "Yes," she croaked. She stood up shakily.  
  
Princess Louvia gazed at her. "Such a sweet one, but with such a burden," she said, shaking her head. "Try out your Holy, Zaria."  
  
"How?" Zaria asked, flustered.  
  
"How you use your healing magic, but this time focus on Holy," Princess Louvia replied. Zaria took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She focused on nothing but Holy. She kept chanting it in her head, calling forth the power. The words "Banish Evil" came out of her mouth, and a wave of Holy magic hit Princess Louvia, who stepped back but still received the impact of the powerful magic so she fell down.  
  
"Oh no!" Zaria said, looking aghast. "I'm so sorry, Princess!" she exclaimed, rushing over to Princess Louvia. Princess Louvia slowly sat up. "Whoa," she said. "I mean, WHOA! That was some of the strongest Holy magic that I have ever seen! That was amazing!"  
  
Zaria was confused. "A-aren't you hurt?" she stammered. Princess Louvia laughed and shook her head.  
  
"No, for I am not evil, and I am not fighting you. At any rate, my dear, I am immortal. The beauty of holy magic is that it banishes the evil in an opponent, and makes them give up the will to fight you. In some cases, though, it can completely destroy even the most powerful of opponents, but to do that will take a grand effort from you and might take its toll on your health," Princess Louvia warned.  
  
Zaria breathed a sigh of relief. The Princess was all right, and she had bestowed a marvelous new power upon Zaria. Now, the only thing that they had to do before proceeding to the Northern Crater was to find the last Mage warrior! The future was looking bright. Princess Louvia laughed at Zaria's happy expression. "Zaria, let me take you to see Claude once more then I'll send you back so you can go see your Zeth and all your other friends, all right?"  
  
Zaria turned to Princess Louvia and nodded enthusiastically, her eyes shining. "Thank you, Princess Louvia," she cried gaily.  
  
"Call me Louvia," said Princess Louvia. "You've certainly earned the privilege to do so, and call Prince Claude by his first name, Claude." She gazed at Zaria with eyes full of love. "I'm very proud of you, Zaria." She then extended her hand and Zaria slowly placed her hand in Louvia's, and then Princess Louvia teleported them both to the Room of the Divine Moon where Prince Claude was waiting.  
  
As soon as Prince Claude saw Zaria and Princess Louvia a soft smile appeared on his face. "The wielder of Universal Holy," he said, gazing at Zaria. "Bare your soul to me, Zaria. You have received the power and still have survived. You are indeed a strong one. But, I have one last test for you. It is a challenge to test your courage, and whether you are worthy of Holy, and although I do not doubt it, this test is necessary." Zaria nodded in acquiescence.  
  
"All right then," he said. "Tell me, why is it that you fight? I know that part of the reason you do is to save the world, but everyone has a hidden stimulus, a concealed inspiration. Tell me yours."  
  
Zaria stood there in confusion. What was she to say? She fought for the salvation of the world . . . so that everyone could be happy. Everyone . . . especially her loved ones could be happy. "Think before you answer," Prince Claude warned her, "for you will only have one chance to answer, and the answer must be worthy of the ability to use such a power like Universal Holy."  
  
Zaria continued to cogitate, but she couldn't think of it. Princess Louvia saw her anxiety and decided to help her. "Zaria," she said. "This answer is true for almost everyone. And the answer is not 'revenge', but something else, something important to anyone who has even the tiniest shred of good in them. Anyone who has the ability to love . . ."  
  
Zaria took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Why did she fight? She remembered the image of Zeth, falling down the cliff, his glowing aqua eyes cast upwards in her direction, looking at her with all the love that she had ever wanted or needed. Zeth . . . she fought for him . . . and for everyone else she loved! She loved all of her friends! She loved Zeth, she loved Cat, She loved Zack, she loved Fuuko, she loved Adrian, and she even loved Breanna! Albeit her love for each of them was different, she did love them all, and she would fight to protect them. Her answer was now clear. She opened her eyes and looked Prince Claude straight in the eye. "I fight," she declared, "to protect the ones I love."  
  
Prince Claude locked his gaze on hers for a long, long time, with that perceptive look on his face. In his emerald eyes Zaria could see the pain and joy that he had been through in the past, for everything came to the surface. He was baring his soul to her, in exchange for having her bare her soul to him. During that moment, Prince Claude was vulnerable. Finally the intimate look in his eyes disappeared and then he broke into a smile.  
  
"Yes," he said. "You have answered correctly, child." He walked over to Zaria, holding his regal composure. To her surprise, he bent down and swept her up in his embrace. "I'll be watching over you, Moon Child," he whispered in her ear, and then he slowly faded away into magic dust.  
  
Princess Louvia came up to her with tears in her eyes. She reached out and hugged Zaria as well. "So heartbreakingly sweet and innocent, yet with such a burden," she said softly for the tenth time. "Farewell, Zaria, and good luck. No matter what, do what your heart tells you. If you need the wisdom of the moon, then summon the spirit of the moon with this. You can use it only when there is moonlight nearby," she said, giving Zaria the moonstone around her neck.  
  
Zaria looked up at Princess Louvia. "Thank you," she whispered. Princess Louvia smiled and nodded, and then gestured towards Zaria, and she was once more wearing her armor. Then Zaria could feel herself fading away.  
  
"Goodbye, Moon Maiden Artemis," Princess Louvia said softly, and then lowering her voice so that Zaria could barely hear her, she added, "Beware that one who is close to you is not what they seem. That one is not evil but could corrupt your cycle of life. Take special care."  
  
Zaria then felt herself being transported out of the Moon Kingdom, and back to her world. Goodbye, she thought, hoping that someday she could go back to see Prince Claude and Princess Louvia again, and maybe abide in the heavenly kingdom on the Moon.  
  
  
  
Another fantasy element. Lot's of things going on, eh? Please review and tell me when you want me to update! 


	8. Chapter 08 Stormy Skies

Getting deeper into the plot. Although I actually put a somewhat humorous part in here. Please read and review!  
  
  
  
  
  
Stormy Skies  
  
Zaria's eyes opened, and she sat up and looked around. Where was she? Then she saw the familiar surroundings and remembered. The only person who could've brought her here was Zeth. She turned around to see Zeth slumped in the chair next to her, fast asleep. She reached over and shook him awake. "Zeth, wake up," she said softly, and then he woke up and yawned. He rubbed his eyes and then stared at her.  
  
"Zaria?" he said drowsily. Zaria smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yes, it's me," she said, hugging him.  
  
He held her tightly as if he would never let go. "Zaria," he whispered. "You don't know how relieved I am to have you back in my arms again . . ."  
  
Zaria laughed lightly and then pulled away. "How long have I been . . . asleep?" she asked, looking up at him. He looked back into her penetrating emerald eyes, which seemed to have gained more knowledge, for she had a worldly experienced look about her.  
  
"For four days," he replied softly. "I brought you here the second day." Zaria's eyes brimmed with tears.  
  
"You brought me all the way here . . . by yourself?" she asked.  
  
Zeth shook his head. "I had you," he replied simply. "And the one hope that you would return soon." Zaria smiled gently and patted his head, ruffling his perfect hair.  
  
"Well, you wouldn't believe what I've gone through . . ."  
  
* * *  
  
"The important thing is that you're back now, safe and sound. The fact that you've received Universal Holy is a blessing, and no one deserves that blessing more than you," Zeth said after Zaria had finished telling him what had happened. Then the happy expression on Zaria's faced dimmed slightly.  
  
"I don't know if I'm worthy of it, or if I can handle such a huge responsibility," she said quietly, her eyelids lowering.  
  
"No matter what, you'll always have me and everyone else to support you," Zeth said, shrugging.  
  
Zaria nodded reluctantly. "Yes, but I feel like I'm going to crack under all this pressure," she said in a troubled tone, looking away.  
  
Zeth shook his head. "Stop your whining," he demanded teasingly, "and let's go back to Icicle so we can tell the others that you're back!"  
  
They then walked back to Icicle together, and although the walk was long and cold, the talking that was going on made them forget. Many hours later, they were standing in front of Zitan's house. Zaria knocked on the door and a few moments later Zitan appeared.  
  
"Zaria!" he said excitedly as soon as he saw Zaria. "You're all right! You're back!" Then Fuuko and Breanna appeared behind him.  
  
"Zaria!" they exclaimed, and hugged her simultaneously. Zack and Adrian followed them closely behind and then everyone wrapped Zaria up in a group hug.  
  
"You all are so great," Zaria said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don't deserve this at all."  
  
"Yes, you do," said Zack. "You're our Zaria." He then turned to Zeth and laughed. "Although I know someone here who's not quite willing to let you be 'our' Zaria!" Zeth shrugged and smiled.  
  
They all gathered into Zitan's cabin and sat down, where Zaria told them of what had happened to her, and what power she now had. She told them that now they must hurry to find the eighth warrior, for the time of reckoning was drawing near.  
  
"Tomorrow we must continue our search," Zaria concluded.  
  
She turned to Zitan. "Zitan, would you like to join us?" she asked her brother. "It doesn't matter if you're a warrior or not, but you have vast knowledge and abilities that would help so many."  
  
Zitan looked sad when he replied, "I'm sorry, but it is not possible."  
  
"But why?" Cat asked. "You've been rejuvenated, haven't you?"  
  
Zitan slowly nodded. "But," he said, "rejuvenating magic does have its side effects. That's why it hasn't yet become a substitution for youth elixir. It must remain fully charged at all times, and if it isn't, the recipient of the magic dies. He or she withers away into their true age. I cannot risk that, so I must stay here in Icicle with my magic charging machine. I could unendingly charge it, but then I would be trapped in a life of immortality, and that is against nature's will."  
  
"But that would be awesome, wouldn't it?" Cat said.  
  
Zitan shook his head in negation. "Ask any immortal. Being immortalized is not fun, and usually transforms the recipient into a bitter soul. And I do not have control over my magic like any of you; I can only use temporary spells that come from another magic source. I am not one of the blessed children from the Locke family. I am not the Moon Maiden Artemis," he finished sadly.  
  
"Zitan," Fuuko began, "although you may not be the Moon Maiden Artemis, you are someone very special. We need you. Please, come with us. Charge yourself for a few years worth . . . and then you can come back later to your machine. Just come."  
  
"Yes, Zitan, you're my brother," Zaria said softly.  
  
"Yeah! Blood is thicker than water, right?" Cat chimed in. Cat's cheerfulness brought a smile to Zitan's face.  
  
"Maybe . . ." he said.  
  
"What the @#$%, just come with us, damn it," said Zack. "I'll help you pack now." He then got up and dragged Zitan to his room.  
  
"No one can say no to that," Zeth said, laughing.  
  
Zaria's eyes sparkled with joy. "Then we're all set!" she exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together. "So, where are we going to go next?" she asked. She looked expectantly around the room. "Is there going to be no input at all?" she cried in mock despair. "Well then, I'll decide! Hmm, let's go to the Silver Belt! Then we can search and have fun at the same time!"  
  
She had a gleeful smile on her face, and she struggled to keep in her giggles. "But Zaria," said Zeth, "isn't the Silver Belt kind of far away from the northern area of the continent?  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Zeth," Zaria said defensively. "No one ever said we have to search around the northern part of the continent!" Then Zaria looked away nonchalantly. "Let's get some rest before we go, shall we?" she said. Everyone agreed and then that night they slept cramped up together in Zitan's cabin.  
  
In the middle of the night, Zeth heard shuffling, like someone was weaving his or her way through the sleeping bodies, and then he felt a hand violently shaking his shoulder. "Ow!" he exclaimed, getting up and rubbing his shoulder.  
  
Zaria was kneeling down next to him, her emerald eyes glowing in the cold darkness. "Shut up!" she hissed in a shushed tone, and then motioned for him to follow her. He shrugged to himself and got up out of his spot on the floor and followed Zaria out of the cabin into the cold night.  
  
"Zaria, what are you thinking, coming out into the cold at this hour!" he scolded her.  
  
She shrugged and flashed him a haughty smile. "I just wanted to come out to see the night sky, and I thought it would be something nice to share with someone . . ." she trailed off, her eyes cast toward the stars in the sky. Zeth looked up at the sky.  
  
"It is beautiful," he admitted, for there was much more starlight and moonlight up north than anywhere else. It illuminated the snow and falling snowflakes, making the scenery around them glitter iridescently with a beautiful frostiness.  
  
"Yes," Zaria agreed. "I love the stars, love to know what they have to say, love the way that they illuminate the beauty of the planet. The planet that we might not be able to save," she said softly. Then she looked back down and laughed. "Anyway, many people have told me that I look prettier in the nighttime, when it's dark. Probably because they can't stand how I look in the daytime," she chuckled. Zeth turned and gazed at her tenderly.  
  
"That's not true," he said. She laughed awkwardly and looked away.  
  
"We're so lucky to be living in such a beautiful continent, such a beautiful planet. I will do anything to keep this planet and the people I love in it safe," she said wistfully, gazing at the stars. She closed her eyes. "Stars in the sky, please lend me your power of Holy," she whispered.  
  
Zeth saw that Zaria was praying, or talking to the stars or something, so he didn't know what to do. "Well, I'm going to go sleep now," he said. "You come now too."  
  
Zaria opened her eyes and looked at him. She shook her head softly. "No, you go on ahead," she said. "I'll follow later." He nodded and started back to the cabin, turning back once to look at Zaria, but not seeing the tear sliding down her cheek.  
  
Zaria wiped the tear away. "What if I can't do it?" she said to the sky. "What if everyone hates me, because of all the trouble I've caused them, and will continue to cause them? I know that I can't do it without everyone's support . . ."  
  
She reached into her pocket and then drew out the moonstone that Princess Louvia had given her. She held it up towards the moon, and then it started glowing brightly, illuminating moonlight. "Princess Louvia, Princess of the Moon," she whispered, "is simply searching for the Ice warrior the right choice? Am I going in the right direction?"  
  
The moonlight seemed to swirl around her, suffocating her in its celestial aura. "What you heart tells you to do is that path you must take," the moon spirits surrounding her hissed in her ear.  
  
"But what does my heart tell me to do?" Zaria cried.  
  
"Only you can determine that, Zaria," resonated Princess Louvia's voice. Zaria whipped her head around in the direction the voice came from so quickly that it almost snapped.  
  
"Princess Louvia!" she exclaimed, but then the moon spirits slowly departed, leaving her alone again. Zaria attempted to summon the spirits of the Moon again, but this time it didn't work. Apparently, they only worked when they had a message for her, and once they had delivered that message, then they wouldn't return until she had accomplished something and they had another message to deliver. She sighed deeply and slowly walked back towards the cabin. She quietly entered without disturbing anyone and then fell into a deep sleep, not noticing that Zeth was still awake, watching over her.  
  
* * *  
  
The rays of morning sunlight seeped in through the windows, and they burned into Zeth's eyes. Zeth sat up and yawned, and then looked around. Everyone was still asleep, but the second that he turned her way, Zaria popped up. "Rise and shine!" she shouted happily. "We have a big day of traveling ahead of us!"  
  
Everyone slowly began waking up, one by one. Zack sat up sleepily, his shoulders slumped. "What an ungodly hour," he said monotonously, and stood up and shuffled towards the bathroom.  
  
"Hey! I was gonna use that first!" Cat shouted, and she sprung up and raced Zack to the bathroom. Zack beat her to it and slammed the door in her face, so Cat stood in front of the bathroom door banging on it and shouting, which in turn woke Breanna up.  
  
"Shut up!" Breanna yelled, throwing her pillow at Cat, and then the pillow rebounded off her and fell on Adrian's sleeping head. He remained asleep, quietly snoring. Breanna started giggling hysterically and then toppled over onto Zitan.  
  
"Yeeeeooooouuuch!" Zitan howled, struggling to push Breanna off. Zaria started to giggle as well while Zeth sat there appearing amused.  
  
Fuuko woke up looking irritated. "What is all this commotion?" she demanded. "How can anyone sleep in this chaos?" Zaria giggled harder while Fuuko glanced over at Adrian, the only one left asleep. "He sleeps like a log," she remarked. Although there were many feigned anguished cries and annoyed shouts, Adrian still was peacefully asleep.  
  
"He's a vampire," Breanna snickered cruelly, "those damn creatures sleep through anything." Fuuko sighed in exasperation.  
  
"Bree, be nice!" she scolded. She went over and softly shook Adrian. "Wake up," she cooed. Adrian's eyes popped open and he sat up and yawned, looking contented.  
  
Breanna's eyes narrowed. "You were awake the whole time!" she accused. Adrian gave her an innocent, questioning look.  
  
Meanwhile, Zack had finished using the bathroom, and he threw the door open, smacking Cat in the face and knocking her over. He strolled out casually, and Breanna sprang up and flew into the bathroom. She shut the door and then Cat slumped down, holding her forehead.  
  
"Are you okay?" Zaria called from across the room. Cat's eyes were crossed, and then she quickly uncrossed them as she regained her equilibrium.  
  
"Zack!" she screeched, jumping towards Zack. Zack started running away and Cat followed him around the cabin, her shrieks of mirth being heard even outside on the street.  
  
Moments later, Breanna strolled out of the bathroom looking primped up and satisfied, and then Cat stopped her running to spread her wings and speedily flew to the bathroom, smacking Zeth in the face with her wings.  
  
Zack fell over laughing, and everyone else was doubling over with hysteria. "Zeth, are you all right?" Zaria gasped, and Zeth scowled at her. He walked over to the other side of the room and sat down. Zack continued to roar.  
  
"HAHAHAHA! Calm down, Zack," Zaria wheezed as she clutched her stomach in pain. Eventually, everyone calmed down and all was quiet. It remained that way for quite a while until Fuuko finally broke the silence.  
  
"Hey, whoever is finished, go stock up on supplies!"  
  
Zack and Breanna nodded and left to go buy some more traveling supplies. The rest of them got their belongings ready, while Cat continued to use the bathroom.  
  
"She's taking kind of long," Zaria said, raising her brow and looking towards the bathroom. Adrian stalked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "CAT, STOP HOGGING THE BATHROOM!" he bellowed, and then he calmly walked back while Cat was spewing muffled insults from the other side of the bathroom door.  
  
An hour later, everyone was ready to leave for the Silver Belt. It had taken a lot of hassle to get everyone ready, but as soon as they were all done, they trooped out to the Firebird and clambered in.  
  
"Where would we be if I hadn't brought the Firebird along," Zack bragged from the front seat, where he was sitting with Zeth. Breanna rolled her eyes and stuck her head towards him.  
  
"Shut up and let's get going to the Silver Belt!" she shouted, and then Zack laughed and then lifted off. The jet zoomed into the horizon in the light of the morning.  
  
* * *  
  
"Time to wake up, my dear," called Professor Stonewall as he stepped towards the glass cage containing a young girl around age eighteen. The girl stirred and woke. She sat up and glared at Professor Stonewall. "Rena, don't be so unappreciative," commented the professor. "I've been taking care of you all this time."  
  
The girl sat there staring at him with an odious look on her pretty face. She was quite comely, with long chestnut hair and jadeite green eyes. In her anger, the radioactive substances charged into her body reflected in her flashing eyes, glowing with repugnance.  
  
"Leave me alone," she said nebulously, and turned away. The Professor laughed, shaking his dirty blond bangs out of his eyes. He considered himself charming and good-looking, and he knew he was quite ingenious. In his own eyes, he was perfect, and no one had the right to refuse his requests. He had the power to control anyone or anything he wanted. What he didn't know was that he had been brainwashed by the Toki government's experiments, and they were just using him as a tool.  
  
"Rena, Rena, please, just cooperate. We have an exciting agenda today! More experiments with radioactive materials," he said, a sickly sweet smile on his face. Rena cringed and the rims of her eyes reddened. She turned back to him.  
  
"Please, Logan, no," she begged. "You don't know how much it hurts. Please!" she cried hysterically. The professor's expression looked confused for a moment. Rena looked at him hopefully, longing to see the eyes of the Logan Stonewall that she had once known. After a moment his warm brown eyes reverted into their previously hard color.  
  
"It's Richard Toki's orders, so deal with it," he said apathetically, which infuriated Rena even more. "You're still alive, aren't you?" He then turned away briskly, walking towards the exit of the lab. As he reached the door, he turned back to Rena. "Oh yes, I have news. Not that you need to know, but the government has succeeded in mutating animals to transform them into cold-blooded killing machines with no conscience whatsoever. There have been some very powerful animals produced, and smart too. Some are just strong and half-witted, but anyhow, they will all be good tools in taking over towns that are not yet under Toki control yet, don't you agree? I have something else to say that I really don't know whether you deserve to know or not . . . I shouldn't be granting you this favor but . . . I'll tell you anyway. It's not like telling you will cause me any loss. I also have news about your family."  
  
"What family?" she spat angrily. "The Toki killed them all!"  
  
"Your Locke relatives," he replied calmly. "We have detected another Locke named Zaria, and she is said to have a brother named Zitan. We are now looking for them, but at the moment you are still our only guinea pig," he said, and then laughing cruelly as if the whole thing were some sort of joke, he left the room.  
  
Rena slumped back into her small mattress in the large glass cage that she was entrapped in. She hated the Toki government, loathed them with all her heart. They had annihilated her whole town just to find her, slaughtering her father and her half-brothers and her stepmother. And just because they thought that her deceased birthmother had been a descendant of the Locke family, who were said to have some sort of special powers.  
  
Rena didn't have any power. She had just been living her normal life as a blithe and fun-loving teenage girl at the age of seventeen when the Toki government had attacked her hometown and taken Logan and herself. They had thrown Rena into a cell while they had injected a controlling substance that one of their infernal scientists had concocted into Logan's mind. They didn't want to put any of it into Rena's mind because they had wanted to keep her for studying and experimenting. Then, they had inflicted one of the cruelest emotional wounds on Rena by having Logan, the person Rena had been affianced to, her one true love, be the one to torture her. Rena remembered the story of the legend of the Locke family that her mother had told her, but she was sure that there were other Locke descendants besides her, such as that girl Zaria and her brother.  
  
"Why me?" she whispered to herself. It was the question that she had been asking herself since the day she had been brought into the lab and put inside the glass cage. She grabbed on her dark chestnut strands of hair and pulled roughly, screaming. She ran over to the glass wall and banged on it, for the millionth time trying to break it. Yet it remained impervious. She fell to her knees, sobbing, too weak to continue her nightly attempt of escape. Why couldn't she just die instead of live through this torture? She lay down and sobbed herself to sleep, knowing that the next time she woke up she would have radioactive chemicals charging through her body, the excruciating pain making every cell in her body cry out in agony. She also knew that the one whom would administer those chemicals would be no other than her love, Logan, and that hurt her even more than the radioactive chemicals.  
  
* * *  
  
Breanna, as always, was sleeping during the plane ride. Cat was groaning loudly. "I don't feel well," she moaned, clutching her stomach.  
  
"You seemed perfectly fine the last time we were on a plane," Adrian commented.  
  
Cat moaned again. "I wasn't feeling fine, but this time it's much worse!" She lay back in her seat and breathed deeply.  
  
"Well, you shouldn't have been reading," piped up Zitan. "And, you should get up and move around a little so you can overcome the nausea."  
  
Cat lifted her head to look at him. She looked hopeful, but then all of a sudden she bolted to reach for a transparent plastic bag, and heaved.  
  
"Yuck, couldn't you have used a opaque or at least translucent bag?" Adrian asked, eyeing the contents of the Cat's stomach that were visible in the bag. Cat's face was greenish, and she sat back and closed her eyes.  
  
"Ugh."  
  
Zaria laughed nervously. "So, we're going to the Silver Belt! Aren't any of you excited?"  
  
Fuuko nodded enthusiastically in response "I've always wanted to go there!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement.  
  
"You always seem to want to go everywhere," Adrian said dryly. Fuuko ignored his comment and turned to Zitan.  
  
"Zitan, have you been to the Silver Belt?" she asked him. Zitan slowly nodded.  
  
"Yeah," he replied in a bored tone.  
  
"Great!" Zaria exclaimed. "Then you can show us around!"  
  
Zitan nodded again. "Yeah, I guess so," he said. "But for now, can we all just sleep?"  
  
Zaria raised her eyebrow. "I take it you don't wanna talk?"  
  
Zitan just shook his head and closed his eyes. "Just let me sleep, sister dear," he said in a dismissive tone.  
  
Zaria shrugged and turned to Fuuko and Adrian, who were arguing again. She felt to tired to play peacemaker, so she lay back into her seat and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long ride.  
  
* * *  
  
"We're here!" Zack bellowed, sticking his head into the back. All of them were jolted awake.  
  
"OHMIGOD!" Breanna shouted. Then she sat up, her eyes wide, and looked around. "Oh, it's just you people," she said, and slumped back in her seat and shut her eyes again.  
  
"Here already?" Fuuko said sleepily. Zeth stuck his head right by Zack's so he was facing them all, and then smiled and did a thumbs-up sign.  
  
"Here, here," he said. "At the famous Silver Belt. Zaria, get up," he demanded. Zaria opened her eyes and scowled at him, and reached towards the door and opened it. Amusement park music blared into the small jet.  
  
"It's the Silver Belt, all right," Zitan said. They all got out of the Firebird and stood there, still sleepy. Only Zeth and Zack seemed excited.  
  
"Let's go in!" Zack exclaimed, and he grabbed Zaria's hand and dragged her towards the ticket booth.  
  
"400 gold pieces for a pass into the Silver Belt, and it costs 10 gold pieces per game," the lady at the booth said monotonously, her eyes set dully on Zaria and Zack. "How many passes will it be?"  
  
"Hmm, eight, please," Zack replied.  
  
"That will be 3200 gold pieces," the lady informed him.  
  
Zack raised his brow. "Expensive," he muttered to Zaria and then reached into their budget of 80000 gold pieces and took out the amount needed.  
  
The lady then handed them the passes. "Once you leave, the passes are invalid," the lady said. "Unless, of course, if you pay 40000 for a lifetime pass." Zack looked at her strangely and started to walk away while Zaria thanked her and hurried after Zack.  
  
Zack handed the passes out to everyone and then they all walked through the entrance, where they had to board cable cars that would take them into the Silver Belt, which was a small island right off the continent of Nova. "Four people per car!" the Silver Belt worker shouted, and then helped the four girls into the first cable car. The four guys clambered into the next one.  
  
"Wow, not bad," Zack commented, looking at the interior. The he peered out the window. "Sheesh, we're going up pretty high," he squeaked.  
  
Adrian looked out. "Not a problem for me," he said, slightly spreading his wings.  
  
"If we fall, save me," Zack said, still staring out the window at the scenery below.  
  
Zitan laughed. "Don't worry," he assured him. "Never in the history of Silver Belt has any of the cable cars ever fallen, except some people have very foolishly opened the doors and fallen out to their deaths." He then deviously reached for the handle of the door.  
  
"No!" Zack shouted, pushing his hand away.  
  
Zeth laughed. "Gosh, calm down, Zack," he said. "Just enjoy the ride." He then sat back in his seat and looked outside the window. It was magnificent. Nova truly was a beautiful land, and the seas were the same illustrious aqua color as his eyes. Zeth sighed, thinking of what they were there for. He turned to the other three. "We're here to save the world, but still, if there's all work and no play, then what are we saving? While we're here, we will enjoy ourselves. Just watch for any signs of Ice magic from the corner of your eye."  
  
They all nodded dutifully, and then the cable car began its descent towards the Silver Belt. "Wow, would ya look at that," Zack muttered, his eyes glued on the amazing structure. They had somehow shaped it like a metallic belt that spiraled up towards the sky with a large silver pole in the middle, and the whole thing was lighted up and the music was blaring loudly. The spiraling belt was divided up into sections.  
  
The cable car reached the entrance to the actual Silver Belt, and as soon as they stepped out, they fell down into a large pipe. "Ahhhhhh!" Zeth shouted as he flew down the pipe.  
  
"HOLY ^&*(@#$%!" Zack swore as he tumbled down after Zeth.  
  
"Oof!" Zeth fell down onto a remarkably large cushion, where he saw the four girls struggling to stand up. He jumped out of the way as Zack, Adrian and Zitan landed on the cushion.  
  
"What the #$%^ was that?" Zack shouted.  
  
"Sorry I forgot to warn you, but that's how you get into the Silver Belt," Zitan said nonchalantly.  
  
Zaria scowled at him and smacked him on the head. "Anyway, we're here. So what are we going to do first?"  
  
Zeth looked around. They seemed to be standing inside a large dome that had holes that seemed to be passageways connecting to different sections of the belt. "Platinum Hotel, Gold Star Theater, Centennial Rides, Wonder Game Square, Water World, Bumblebee Terrace and Horse Racing," he read aloud. He turned to the group. "So, where do we go first?" he asked bemusedly.  
  
Cat shrugged. "Maybe we should go to the Platinum Hotel first," she said. "Put our stuff there and all . . . I mean, we have to scour this entire place, right?"  
  
Fuuko nodded. "Yeah, I think that's a real good idea! Then we can split into groups and go look around, okay?"  
  
Zeth looked at the others. "Um, I guess I'll go first," he said uncomfortably, eyeing the hole marked Platinum Hotel. He stepped in and felt himself being warped, and the next thing he knew he was at the end of a brightly lit hallway. One of the hotel staff stepped up to him.  
  
"Hello!" she said cheerfully. "Sir, will you be staying here at Platinum Hotel tonight?" Zeth slowly nodded. "Yes," he replied. "A few of my friends will be following me."  
  
The girl nodded, a genial smile on her face. "Sir, you may proceed to the check-in counter while I wait and greet your friends," she said, just as Zaria got warped there.  
  
"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "I actually landed on my feet!" She skipped over to Zeth and grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's go check in!" she exclaimed, just as Cat warped herself there, Fuuko following right after.  
  
Zeth and Zaria walked towards the double doors at the end of the hallway. Everything in here seemed to be silver. "Wow, they sure make it silver here," Zaria muttered, admiring the precious silver figurines encased in glass shelves.  
  
They entered the Platinum Hotel and Zaria plopped down on a plush chair while Zeth headed towards the check-in counter. He could hear the others coming in and the commotion they were making, and he smiled to himself.  
  
"Hello sir, will you be staying here tonight?" the girl at the counter asked him. Zeth nodded. "The cost is 200 gold pieces per room. Each room can accommodate up to four persons. How many rooms will you be needing?"  
  
"Two," Zeth replied, handing her 400 gold pieces. The girl handed him the keys to two rooms.  
  
"There is also a souvenir shop, a fitness center, a pool, and a restaurant for your convenience and pleasure," the girl informed them pleasantly. Finally Zeth thanked her and walked back towards the others so they could put their belongings away and freshen up. About half an hour later they all met in the lobby.  
  
"What are we going to do next?" Cat asked, looking around at the group.  
  
Zack shrugged and looked at Zeth. "What should we do, Mr. Leader?"  
  
"Very funny, Zack," Zeth said. "Why don't we just split up and everyone go do what you want to do?" he suggested, glancing meaningfully at Zaria, who laughed nervously. Breanna saw the glance that the two had exchanged and smirked.  
  
"I'll go to the Bumblebee Terrace and have a drink or something," she said flippantly, and then took off in the direction of the warp hole marked Bumblebee Terrace.  
  
Zack looked around. "I wanna go to the Wonder Game Square!" he said gleefully. "Anyone else wanna come?" Zaria laughed nervously again, while the others looked away. "Whatever," Zack said, shrugging, and walked towards the Wonder Game Square warp hole and was warped away. "AAAIIIIYYYEEEEEEE!" Zack shouted as he was caught in the green warping ball.  
  
Cat giggled and then turned to Zaria, her eyes full of anticipation. "Zaria, I wanna go with you!" Zaria smiled at Cat and then shifted uncomfortably and turned to Zeth, who shrugged. Adrian saw the look they exchanged and quickly turned to Cat.  
  
"Cat, why don't you, Fuuko, Zitan and I go somewhere? I'm sure that Zaria and Zeth wanna be alone," he said, winking. Zaria blushed, while Cat finally understood and laughed. The four of them departed.  
  
"Let's go to Water World!" Zaria could hear Cat saying.  
  
"Whatever," Zitan was grumbling. They all stepped into the Water World warp hole and disappeared.  
  
Zaria turned to Zeth. "So, where do we go?" she asked him. She laughed. "I promised you a date, didn't I?" she said mischievously, and pulled him towards the warp holes. "Let's go to the Gold Star Theater and watch one of their shows!" They then stepped into the warp hole and were warped to the Gold Star Theater entrance. "Oh, an outdoor stage!" Zaria squealed with delight, and she tugged Zeth towards the entrance. As soon as they went through the doors, a loud ringing sound went off, and one of the Silver Belt workers ran over to them.  
  
"Congratulations!" he exclaimed. "You two are the 100th couple to walk in here today, so your grand prize is . . ."  
  
"What is it?" Zaria interrupted eagerly. Zeth internally cringed with embarrassment. The worker looked up at them, laughter in his eyes.  
  
"You two have to be the leads in our play!"  
  
"What?" Zeth exclaimed. "Oh no, we cant-" but then he was cut off by Zaria nudging him with her elbow.  
  
"Zeth, come on," she pleaded. "This will be fun!"  
  
Fifteen minutes later, they were all dressed up in their costumes. "I feel like a fool," Zeth grumbled, fidgeting in his heavy armor. Zaria laughed and skipped over to him.  
  
"Don't worry, you look fine," she said, adjusting his helmet.  
  
"It's time for you two to come on now," whispered the Silver Belt worker, and he ushered them onstage.  
  
A large dragon came and seized Zaria, who was wearing a princess costume. She shrieked loudly but then realized that the dragon wasn't real. "Oh Prince Albert," she cried shakily, "Save me! Help! EEEEK! The Divine King of Dragons is about to devour me! Rescue me from this disastrous fate!"  
  
Zeth stood there frozen in his heavy armor, trying to remember his next lines. "Um . . . um . . . I will rescue thee, Princess . . . Emille! Oh, Princess, please hold on and wait for me, thy prince in shining-I mean knight in shining armor to come save thee!" he stammered, as he drew out the heavy sword made out of lead that they had equipped him with. It was even heavier than his own sword and he struggled valiantly to keep it up in the air. Finally, he got a feasible grip on it and held it out in front of him.  
  
"Oh Divine King of Dragons, I shall slay thee, so might I make a solicitation for thee to put Princess Emille down so she won't fall when thee dies thy torturous death," he said assuredly, finally remembering the lines. The dragon roared and blew out a line of fire and smoke, which missed Zeth by just a hairline. Zeth yelped and jumped aside. "Holy crap!" he shouted, spinning around to look at the Silver Belt worker hiding in the curtains. "This is real fire!"  
  
The worker motioned for Zeth to ignore it, so Zeth rolled his eyes and turned back to the dragon. He sighed inwardly as he realized that he had forgotten all his lines in his shock of the real fire. "I take that as a no?" he said, making up the lines as he went along. "Then die!" He threw the costume sword aside and unsheathed his own blade. He then charged towards the dragon, but astonishingly, it managed to evade his sword strike. Zaria screamed as she was violently bolted in the dragon's grasp.  
  
"This will be harder than I thought," Zeth muttered under his breath, and let out a holler as he charged towards the dragon again.  
  
"Oh no, please don't use Ultima," Zaria whispered, her hands clasped together. "Cripes, Zeth, it's only a stupid dragon."  
  
Zeth continued charging towards the dragon and astoundingly missing his target, and meanwhile Zaria was being roughly thrown about.  
  
"Hey Prince Albert, just do away with the @#$% dragon!" she shouted, as she was once again thrown violently to the side.  
  
"Do not fret, Princess Emille!" Zeth gasped, running towards the dragon with his sword in his striking pose. "Hold on, Princess!" He leaped up and slashed at the dragon innumerable times, moving amazingly gracefully in his bulky costume armor. Finally the dragon fell to the ground, and Zaria flew out of the dragon's claws, falling in an arc right into Zeth's arms. As he reached out to catch her, his sword clanged to the floor. The spectators cheered loudly. Zeth smiled and put Zaria down, and the audience quieted down, expecting an exchange of dialogue. The spotlight was on the two of them.  
  
"Um . . . thou hath saved me, Prince Albert," Zaria said emphatically.  
  
"Anything to rescue a damsel in distress as bonny as thee, lovely princess," Zeth replied, holding his hand out towards her. Zaria laughed and put her hand in his as he knelt down on one knee and kissed her hand. He looked up at her. "Princess Emille," he said, nodding and then standing up. He gazed into her vibrant emerald green eyes.  
  
"Prince Albert," she replied, looking up at him. Then the curtain slowly closed and the crowd roared. As soon as the curtain had shut completely Zaria pulled away, laughing. "I told you it would be fun, Zeth," she said, her eyes shining.  
  
He laughed and patted her head. "Easy for you to say, Princess Emille, you didn't have to slay some puppet dragon that spouted fire!"  
  
The Silver Belt worker ran up to them. "Thank you, you two!" he exclaimed breathlessly. "You were great out there! Thanks again! Anyway, here's a token for all your trouble." He then pressed a coin into Zeth's hand. "A special coin that will let you go on the gondola ride for free," he said, winking. "I suggest you go at night." Zeth looked at the worker shiftily as Zaria hurriedly thanked him, and then the worker rushed away.  
  
Zeth glanced at his watch. "Hey, we're supposed to meet the others at the hotel in fifteen minutes," he said. "Let's go to the Bumblebee Terrace and go get Breanna. She's probably drunk and not in her right mind right now, and will need someone to help her back to the hotel." Zaria nodded in agreement and then they walked together towards the warp holes.  
  
* * *  
  
"Wheeeeeeeee!" Cat shrieked with delight as she slid down one of the waterslides in Water World. She landed in the water with a big satisfying splash, the water splattering all the way to Adrian, who was lounging in a pool chair nearby.  
  
"Hey Cat, watch where you're splashing!" Adrian yelled, pushing up his sunglasses.  
  
Cat giggled. "Adrian, you look like a dork!" she taunted, and swam away towards Fuuko, who had just come down another slide. "Fuuko! Let's go down that one!" Cat shouted, pointing up to the highest, longest, steepest, most spiraling slide in the whole Water World area.  
  
"Whoa, no way," Fuuko said, shaking her head. "That's way too much for me."  
  
"I'll go!" Zitan volunteered. Cat smiled and sprouted her wings out her back, spread them out in the water, gloriously splashing all whom were nearby, and then flew out of the water.  
  
She grabbed on to Zitan's arm and carried him up all the way to the top of the slide. "Here goes!" she shouted, and plopped him down on the slide. He careened down the slide, shrieking with glee the entire time. Cat laughed and then sat down on the slide and let herself slide down. She screeched with joy as the wind whipped her hair away from her face as she careened down after Zitan. She landed in the water with a painful belly flop.  
  
"Owwwww," she moaned as soon as she came up for air. "That hurt!" Fuuko giggled at the sight of Cat floating in the water clutching her stomach. "Serves you right for wanting to go on such a scary slide," she laughed. She pointed to Zitan. "He's not doing much better than you." Cat glanced over at Zitan, who was doing the same as she. "Well, it was fun anyway," she wheezed. "Let's go again!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Awwwwww," Zack complained as he once again saw the words GAME OVER on the screen. He dug out another coin from his pocket and stuck it in the machine. "Oh yeah, let's go," he muttered as the racing car came back on the screen. He raced and then lost again, this time dispirited. He stepped out of the seat and went to stand near a young guy who was playing a fighting game. The guy maneuvered the joystick expertly, effortlessly defeating the on-screen opponent.  
  
"Whoa," Zack said, his eyes wide as the character on the screen executed a powerful kick. He turned to the guy. "You're pretty damn good at this!"  
  
The guy turned around to face Zack. "Ya think so?"  
  
Zack gasped as he saw whom the guy was. "You're . . . you're . . . Zeke Feld!" he exclaimed. The guy laughed and nodded. "You're a hero!" Zeke laughed again.  
  
"Not really a hero . . ."  
  
"Oh, but you are!" Zack persisted. "When you were sent back sixty years ago you saved a whole city that was going to be demolished! It's because of you that the city of Velleweb still exists!"  
  
Zeke smiled. "Yeah, it was pretty awesome being sent back in time. But there were also many warriors back then much braver than I, so I don't think it's quite fair that I got so much recognition and they didn't. By the way, what's your name?"  
  
"Zack Strife," Zack responded instantly.  
  
Zeke laughed. "Nice to meet you, Zack," he said. "I'll remember your name. See ya around." Zeke then turned back to his game.  
  
"See ya," Zack echoed, and walked away, checking the time. He had to be back in fifteen minutes. Hmm, enough time for one more game . . .  
  
* * *  
  
"PROMISES!" Breanna shouted. "Promises. Promises are like spider webs we weave to trap our own dreams, but dreams have a way of thinning out until you're left with nothing but a &#$% web!"  
  
The people listening to Breanna's drunken declarations clapped and cheered. Then Breanna began hiccupping. "Hic . . . I'm . . . hic . . . tired," Breanna concluded, slamming her drink down on the table. At that moment Zeth and Zaria walked in.  
  
"Aha! There she is!" Zaria exclaimed as soon as she had spotted Breanna by the bar. Zaria wove her way through the crowd and came over by Breanna. "Bree, get up!" Zaria shouted in Breanna's ear. She shook Breanna awake.  
  
"Zaria!" Breanna exclaimed in a slurred voice. Zaria sighed and helped Breanna up.  
  
"Come on, let's get back to the hotel."  
  
Zeth rushed to her side and they both took Breanna back to the hotel. When they reached the hotel, everyone was waiting for them.  
  
"What took you guys so long?" Cat chirped, but as soon as she saw Breanna her eyes widened. "Is she drunk again? Zaria nodded.  
  
"Not again," Fuuko groaned. "I'll take her up." She came and grabbed Breanna by the arm and took her up the warp hole to their room.  
  
"So, did you people have fun?" Zack asked, looking at Zeth and Zaria slyly.  
  
"Not the kind of fun you think, Zack," Zeth answered. "We starred in one of the plays they show at the Gold Star Theater, and I was a pretty good knight in shining armor, if I do say so myself," he finished, grinning broadly.  
  
Zitan laughed. "I've seen those before . . . the 100th couple of the day has to play the main roles in a play with a princess and a prince and a dragon, right?"  
  
Zaria nodded, smiling. "Why don't we all go eat now?" she suggested. Everyone agreed and then they waited for Fuuko, who came down soon after. They went to the hotel restaurant and had their dinner, sharing the details of their day. When they were finished they all went into their rooms to sleep, for tomorrow they would leave the Silver Belt. No one had seen any sign of any Ice magic.  
  
Zeth lay awake in the dark. Zitan, Zack and Adrian had already fallen asleep, and although Zeth had had a pretty eventful day, he wasn't really that tired. He lay in his bed staring at the ceiling until he heard a slight tapping at the door. At first he thought that it was some sort of bird or insect outside but the tapping persisted and grew louder. Finally Zeth decided to get up and go see what was causing the tapping. When he opened the door he saw Zaria standing there, anxiously pacing about. As soon as she saw him, her eyes lit up.  
  
"Zeth!" she whispered loudly. "Come out here." Zeth obeyed and stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.  
  
"Zaria, it's almost midnight," he said. "What do you want?"  
  
Zaria grinned and held up the coin that the Silver Belt worker had given them. "Let's go finish our date," she said devilishly, and grabbed his arm. "Come on!"  
  
Zeth let Zaria drag him over to the Centennial Rides warp hole, the whole time mumbling complaints about wanting to sleep, and they were then warped over to the Centennial Rides hall. The whole place was full of people bustling around and being loud. They were basically having fun. Zaria dragged Zeth over to the ride marked Gondola Ride. "This isn't a gondola, Zaria," Zeth said, staring at the cable car right behind the sign. "It's a cable car ride."  
  
Zaria shrugged. "Who cares? As long as we have fun, anything is fine with me!"  
  
Zaria handed the token to the worker operating the cable car and then hopped in. She stuck her head out and motioned for Zeth to come in too. Zeth climbed in after her and sat down on the other side. "Do you realize that this is our first real date?" Zaria asked, peering out the window. Zeth shook his head.  
  
"No, I didn't really think of that," he replied. Zaria sighed and looked up at the night sky.  
  
"Sometimes," she said softly, "sometimes, I just wish that we were an ordinary couple, just dating and having fun, and just living normal lives together. I know it seems selfish, but being blessed with magic sometimes seems like a curse . . . especially being a Mage warrior . . . I just can't understand how I feel, but I feel this way anyway."  
  
Zeth looked at Zaria. "I understand what you mean," he said quietly. "But then again, aren't you somewhat glad that we're living now? I mean, all our friends . . . if we had lived then, then we wouldn't have met these people. Zaria reluctantly nodded.  
  
"I know," she replied softly. "Things are the way they are, we can't change anything. We just have to deal with the future. But sometimes, I just can't help thinking about the past, thinking about the 'what ifs' that could've happened." She pulled her gaze away from the window and glanced at Zeth. "We are carrying a very heavy burden, you know," she said. "Haven't you ever thought of what might happen if we can't do it? What will happen to the world? What if we can't save everyone?"  
  
"Then we just can't fail," Zeth said simply. "We will do all we can to save the world. We will find the last warrior. We will build the barrier, and if we can't, we'll just find some other way."  
  
Zaria looked out the window again. "I guess so." She gazed at the stars that they were passing, and looked down at the other people below going on the rides and having fun. Normal people, she thought. I wish . . . I could be like them.  
  
She started laughing uncontrollably. Zeth grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from falling over. "What's wrong, Zaria?" he asked worriedly.  
  
She abruptly stopped. "See?" she cried. "Look at us! We're doing what normal people do, trying to enjoy life! Yet still, the things we talk about have nothing to do with the lives of normal people. Why? Why us?"  
  
She shrugged his hands off her shoulders and sat back, sighing. "I just wanna be like everyone else," she murmured sadly. Zeth stood up and sat down next to her. He then pulled her close to him.  
  
"Zaria, you don't need to be like anyone else to be happy," he whispered in her ear. "Just be you, and everyone loves you already." She sniffled and turned towards him.  
  
"Zeth . . ." she murmured and rested her head on his shoulder. I just wanna be close to you, close enough to feel your heart beating fast. That's all. Is it real, or just my fantasy? I wish . . . to forget about my desire of being normal. I just wish for you to be happy. Even if the only way for you to be happy were if I was gone, then I'd be willing to do that. Zeth, I don't know how I lived sixty years without you . . . only the thought that you might still be alive kept me going, I guess. Who knows what we'll have to face in the future? Who knows if I'll be lucky enough to have you forever? For now, just stay there as I whisper how I love your peaceful eyes on me. I know you know that I always have mine on you. Let me come to you, close as I wanna be. Close enough for me to feel your heart beating fast. That's enough to let me know that I'm not dreaming.  
  
Zeth's eyelids slowly began sliding shut. Then he heard booming sounds from outside, which startled him awake. Zeth glanced out the window. He could see fireworks illuminating the night sky. "Zaria," he whispered gently, and she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked out the window.  
  
"Oh!" she exclaimed, and pressed her face to the glass like a small child. "It's so pretty!" She continued to watch the fireworks while Zeth gazed softly at her with eyes full of tenderness. A few minutes later, the cable car ride ended, and they got out. They walked to the warp hole quietly, until Zaria finally broke the silence. "So . . . nobody has found the Ice warrior," she said. "Where should we go next? We still have no indications whatsoever."  
  
Zeth continued to walk in deep thought. "I've been thinking," he said. "Maybe we should go ask the King of Southern Nova. He should know something, or at least have an advisor who knows about this. Bink probably knows, but he thinks we need to find out ourselves . . . so I think we should go to the capital city of the south first, and if they don't know anything, we'll go back up north."  
  
"Heide Tiseau?" Zaria asked. "Well . . . all right. Maybe one of the royalty is a warrior," she said, shrugging. "Tomorrow we'll ask Zack if he can fly us all there."  
  
* * *  
  
"So, what do you all think about going to Heide Tiseau?" Zaria asked everyone as they were gathered in the hotel room.  
  
"That's a good idea," Zitan said, nodding.  
  
"It makes sense to go there," Fuuko agreed.  
  
"Whatever is fine with me," inserted Breanna, inspecting her nails.  
  
"All right, then we're going to Heide Tiseau," Zeth decided.  
  
"Isn't Heide Tiseau way down south by the coast?" Zack asked. Zaria nodded in affirmation.  
  
"It sounds like the name of a city that would be up north," Adrian said thoughtfully.  
  
"Let's just get on that plane!" Cat exclaimed.  
  
Half an hour later they had all boarded the small jet and were ready to leave. Fuuko climbed into the pilot's seat. "Ooh, Fuuko's gonna fly us there!" Cat squealed, and she scrambled to the front seat. Fuuko lifted off. Breanna, as usual, fell asleep half an hour into the ride, and soon after Zitan and Adrian fell asleep as well. Zack, Zeth and Zaria were left awake. "This feels so pointless now," Zaria muttered under her breath. "Although we have to do as much as we can now . . . it just feels like we're doing this in vain."  
  
"What's that?" Zack asked.  
  
Zaria shook her head. "Nothing," she responded plaintively, and then turned away. "Just wishful thinking."  
  
Zack looked confused. "Whatever," he said. "Anyway, I've always wanted to go to Heide Tiseau! I heard they have awesome shores! And awesome beaches! And awesome chicks to go with it!"  
  
Zeth nodded, ignoring his latter comment. "I've been there . . . it's real nice . . . I knew King Julian ever since he was a ten-year old prince . . . I remember when we went to Heide Tiseau, do you, Zaria?" he asked, turning to Zaria. She nodded.  
  
"I still remember quite clearly. Prince Julian looked up to you a lot, Zeth . . . and to think that now he's a seventy year-old king. It will be pleasant seeing him after all this time . . . wonder if he'll recognize us?"  
  
Zeth laughed. "Yeah. We look no different from the last time that he saw us. Didn't he marry Princess Yvette of Northern Nova? Why isn't he king of all of Nova?"  
  
"Because Princess Yvette's much older brother, Prince Thomas Luke, obtained the throne," Zaria explained. "He married a commoner named Angel who became queen of the northern continent, and they had a son named Rufus who now sits on the throne of Northern Nova. Queen Angel was a wonderful and beautiful queen who did many charitable things for Northern Nova, but then she died, and soon after King Thomas Luke died as well. I think King Rufus, their son, married one of the princesses of Hyrynd, the continent next to us, and their elder son Prince Logan is dead or something. Maybe I heard wrong. I heard he was abducted as a child to a farming town that was annihilated by the Toki government."  
  
"Why do the kings tolerate such a corrupt government?" Zack mused, shaking his head. Zaria shrugged.  
  
"Ask King Julian when we get there. Anyway, King Rufus' youngest son Prince Thomas Luke the Second is now the only prince of Northern Nova, and a very eligible one at that. I think he plans to marry one of King Julian's granddaughters in order to unite all of Nova. King Julian has two granddaughters, I think. Their parents died in a boating accident many years ago, when they were still toddlers. Their names are Princess Rochelle and Princess Giselle. They're about our age, and I've heard that they're both very pretty. Prince Luke is going to have a hard time choosing between the two," Zaria said. "Still, King Rufus will not give up his search for his son Logan. It's sad, really."  
  
"I see," Zack said. "Well, who knows? Hey everybody, look! We're approaching Heide Tiseau!"  
  
Indeed, they were approaching a large coastal town with a magnificent white castle with twin towers. The sea was the exact same color as Zeth and Zack's eyes, just as crystalline and vibrant, just as uplifting to look at.  
  
"We're here!" Fuuko shouted as she landed the aircraft. Everyone slowly woke up and got out of the jet.  
  
"Wow!" Cat exclaimed as the sea breeze blew across her face. "It's nice here!" They entered the town of Heide Tiseau, marveling at what an enticing, sunny capital it was.  
  
"This town is just as beautiful as I remembered," said Zaria, gazing at the white limestone buildings, blue tiles and white limestone bridges over the little brooks that ran through the town. "I think that the castle is that way," Zaria said, pointing in the direction of the twin towers.  
  
Breanna rolled her eyes. "No offense, Zaria, but where else would it be?" Zaria pretended not to hear her uncouth remark, as usual.  
  
The group walked towards the castle, but as they approached the entrance one of the castle guards blocked their path.  
  
"Why do you wish to enter the Twin Castle of Heide Tiseau?" the guard demanded. Zeth stepped up in front Cat, who was about to make an insolent retort. "We're here to see King Julian," Zeth said tranquilly. "We're old friends of his."  
  
"I demand to know your names," the guard stipulated.  
  
"Why the $%^& do you need to know?" Cat shouted at the guard.  
  
Zaria rushed over to shush her. "Cat, calm down, he's just doing his job."  
  
"G-gosh, you're pretty," the guard stuttered when he saw Zaria. Zaria looked at him oddly and stepped back.  
  
"Um, I'm Zeth Lanier," interrupted Zeth. "Just tell the king that, he'll know."  
  
The guard scowled. "All right, I'll go inform the king that a Zeth Lanier is here. I don't usually do preferential treatment, but . . . this time I will." The castle guard glanced at Zaria and walked away haughtily. Zeth smiled and turned to Zaria.  
  
"Thanks, Zaria," he said, winking. Zaria looked puzzled.  
  
"But I didn't do anything," she mumbled. Fuuko laughed. "You don't need to, Zaria. Those big sweet eyes of yours do it all." Zaria shrugged and stepped back, her arms crossed.  
  
A few minutes later, the guard came hurrying back, looking flustered. "King Julian insists on having an audience with you immediately," the guard blurted hastily. "Allow me to show you the way."  
  
The guard walked ahead quickly, and the group followed him slowly, taking in the breathtaking interior of the castle. "This is an awesome place!" Cat exclaimed from way behind. "All these stars and moons and suns in the interior decoration!"  
  
"Please, hurry!" the guard called back at them. Cat rolled her eyes and ran to catch up with the others. The guard led them to the Chamber of the Sun, where King Julian was eagerly waiting on his throne, Queen Yvette sitting regally by his side. Everyone bowed down. The king and queen had warm, sunny expressions on their faces, and they were both wearing warm shades. King Julian's graying hair did not seem gray, but it seemed a gold- silver shade in the sunlight, as was Queen Yvette's. King Julian stood up with slight difficulty.  
  
"So, you claim to be Zeth Lanier!" he boomed. Zeth kept his head bowed down.  
  
"Yes, your majesty, I am Zeth Lanier," he affirmed.  
  
"Lift your head up, son," the king commanded. Zeth raised his eyes to meet the king's gaze.  
  
"Oh, he certainly looks like the Zeth in the pictures," Queen Yvette exclaimed, putting a delicately gloved hand to her mouth. King Julian furrowed his brow. "By Jove, you're a spitting image of the Zeth Lanier I once knew. But it's impossible! Zeth Lanier should be thirteen years older than me! Anyway, I heard that he died sixty years ago!"  
  
"Pardon me, your majesty, but you were misinformed. I was not killed, but was sucked into a time warp, where I was sent sixty years into the future," Zeth replied. "It is the truth, your majesty."  
  
King Julian nodded slowly, still looking doubtful. "Well son, tell me, when you knew me, what did we do everyday?"  
  
Zeth smiled. "We played chess in your room, your majesty. I remember how I would let you win and you would sulk afterwards, telling me not to do that. We had the same argument about that everyday, your majesty," he replied.  
  
King Julian's mouth opened in awe. "By Jove, it is Zeth!" he exclaimed, getting excited and breathless. He turned to the Queen Yvette. "Yvette, this is my childhood friend, Zeth Lanier!"  
  
The queen nodded and smiled at Zeth. "Welcome to Heide Tiseau, Zeth," she told him. Zeth bowed deeply. "Thank you, your highness," he replied.  
  
"Zeth . . . did you ever check up on that girl . . . Zaria Locke, I believe? The one half the guards here took a schoolboy's fancy to?" the king asked. The queen's mouth opened. Zeth smiled and nodded. "Yes, your majesty. Zaria . . . is here. She took a youth elixir, so she is still eighteen."  
  
Zaria slowly stood up and came to Zeth's side and knelt down. "I am Zaria Locke, your majesty," she said humbly. She slowly looked up at the king and queen.  
  
"Zaria! Still a charming budding young flower!" the king exclaimed. "Do you remember me, Zaria?"  
  
"Yes, your majesty."  
  
"Oh, dispense of the formalities and titles already, we're old friends!" the king proclaimed. He turned to the queen. "Yvette, this here's Zaria!"  
  
"Yes, and she's as beautiful as the pictures," the queen remarked, smiling.  
  
"And who are your friends here?" King Julian demanded. "Tell me their names and occupations, all of them."  
  
Fuuko stepped up. "My name is Fuuko Takano, daughter of the President of Nakano. I work for the Arrow organization, your majesties," she said, and stepped back to make way for the next person.  
  
"Diana Wingheart, princess of the harpies. My nickname is Cat, and I work for Arrow too, your majesties," Cat said in an unexpectedly cultured tone.  
  
"A harpy princess? You don't look anything like any of those foul harpy females. The only good harpies are the male ones," the king insisted, confused.  
  
"I'm a crossbreed of male harpy and female elf, your majesty," Cat replied.  
  
King Julian nodded. "I see. Next, please."  
  
"Adrian Wingheart, work for Arrow, your highnesses," Adrian said abruptly.  
  
"Wait! You two married or what?" King Julian asked, referring to Cat. "A little young, I might say! What are you, sixteen?"  
  
Cat blushed. "No, not at all, your majesty. Just pure coincidence!"  
  
King Julian sat back, a smug smile on his face. "Very well, Princess Diana. Whatever you say. Next!"  
  
"I'm Zitan Locke, Zaria's brother," Zitan said, bowing to the king.  
  
"Another young Locke," King Julian said, waving his hand. "Nice to meet you, Zitan Locke." Queen Yvette nodded at Zitan and smiled.  
  
"My mane - I mean name is Zack Strife, your highnesses, and I'm Zaria's next-door neighbor," Zack said humbly.  
  
The king raised his brows. "Zack Strife, huh. Zack, I knew your grandfather," he said. "Jean-Claude Strife fought in the war, and was always with a young woman named Alexandria, whom I believe became your grandmother," King Julian said. "Alexandria and Jean-Claude, Jean-Claude and Alexandria. Sort of like Zaria and Zeth, Zeth and Zaria. Alexandria was a pretty one, with her pink warrior garments and gravity-defying hairstyle. Her eyes were an emerald green just like Zaria's. Boy, you're a spitting image of Jean-Claude, except that Jean-Claude's hair was the most yellow blond I've ever seen, while you have the blackest hair I've ever seen. Such a couple, Jean-Claude and Alexandria," the king reminisced. "Jean-Claude always carried around this gigantic sword, and Alexandria carried around this rod that didn't do much good in combat, but Jean-Claude was always there to protect her, I suppose. Anyway, Alexandria was quite formidable with any magic."  
  
"You seem to remember the details so well, Julian," Queen Yvette commented.  
  
"Ahh, they're just one of those unforgettable couples," King Julian scoffed, and turned back to Zack. "Maybe you'll find your Alexandria someday, son." Zack actually blushed and stepped back, not daring to say anything else.  
  
Breanna took a deep breath and stepped up. "Breanna Cole . . . bartender . . . your highnesses . . ." she said languidly, extending the words out. King Julian roared with laughter and turned to the queen.  
  
"Yvette, this one's like you, just like you when we were that age." He turned back to the group. "We have much to catch up on, Zeth and Zaria. Yvette and I are pleased to meet the rest of you. Tonight you must stay here and dine with us. For now, go and meet my granddaughters. I believe that they're in their rooms. Then we can dress up and dine in style. I shall hold a banquet for you, my two dear friends!"  
  
King Julian clapped his hands together and a woman rushed up. "Yes, your highness?" she asked.  
  
"Ligeia, take these people up to see my granddaughters and introduce them properly," the king ordered. He got up from his throne, and several attendants rushed to his side. "See you all at the banquet."  
  
Everyone bowed as King Julian and Queen Yvette left the room. "Still the same Julian, eh?" Zeth whispered, nudging Zaria. She laughed and nodded.  
  
"Yes, he certainly is," she replied.  
  
"Please follow me," Ligeia said timidly. She led them to a stairway. "We are going to go to the Chamber of the Divine Moon, where Princess Rochelle is staying in her suite," Ligeia informed them. She led them up the stairway to the top of the tower and pushed the majestic double doors open. "Princess Rochelle, your majesty," Ligeia called meekly. "I've brought guests of the king to see you." She then motioned for Zeth and the others to go in. They walked into Princess Rochelle's suite, where Princess Rochelle was primly sitting on a chaise.  
  
"Oh, visitors!" Princess Rochelle exclaimed sweetly. "Please sit down, and dispense with the titles. I'm so glad to have visitors my age! I'm nineteen, how old are all of you?"  
  
"A pleasure to meet you, Princess Rochelle," Zeth replied. "Let us introduce ourselves to you, Princess. Zaria, Zack, Zitan are eighteen," he said, gesturing towards them. "Fuuko here is nineteen, Cat and Breanna are seventeen, Adrian is sixteen, and I'm twenty-three."  
  
"Oh!" Princess Rochelle exclaimed, delighted. "I'm Rochelle Selene Lanford, Princess of the Divine Moon. Of course, the authentic princess of the moon is one of the Locke descendants, but my title is honorary."  
  
Indeed, Princess Rochelle had silver-gold hair and pale skin, and her eyes were a very pale seawater blue color. She wore a dark blue gown and on her head was a barely visible silver crown set in the spun-silver strands.  
  
"H-how do you know about that, Princess Rochelle?" Zitan stammered.  
  
She smiled. "Because Zitan, since I do moon divining, I need to know every legend of the moon, and I know which ones are accurate or not by consulting my sister Giselle, for she can read the stars."  
  
"Oh," Zitan said, understanding. The Princess smiled at Zitan, and then her gaze turned shy and beseeching.  
  
"Um, do any of you know Prince Thomas Luke the Second of Northern Nova?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
"Only in name, Princess Rochelle," replied Zaria.  
  
"What about him?" Cat asked, her curiosity triggered.  
  
The princess blushed. "I . . . well . . . he wants to marry me, but I don't want to marry him!" she blurted, her fair skin reddening. "My grandparents think that I am satisfied with this arrangement, but I am not!" Princess Rochelle burst into tears in an unprincessly manner. "Please help me! Talk to my grandparents or to Prince Luke or something! I don't know what to do!"  
  
Zaria walked over to the princess. "Princess Rochelle, we will help you in any way we can," she said soothingly. Princess Rochelle looked up and smiled at Zaria through her tears.  
  
"Thank you, Zaria," she said gratefully. "Are you and Zitan twins?"  
  
"No, we're just born nine months apart," Zaria explained.  
  
Ligeia rushed over. "Excuse me, we must go see Princess Giselle now, we're quite short of time," Ligeia blurted, looking harried.  
  
Princess Rochelle stood up straight and regained her royal composure. "I will see you all later. Meanwhile, please go visit Prince Luke . . . Giselle can show you where he's staying . . . you will see what kind of person he has become . . . thank you for agreeing to help me," she said, clasping her hands together in a gesture of gratitude. "See you all at the banquet."  
  
They all thanked the princess and followed Ligeia out of the room. Ligeia led them down the tower, across the castle to the other tower. As they climbed up the stairs Breanna started to complain, so Fuuko created her wind vortexes to carry them up, except for Cat and Adrian, who flew up. Ligeia was rather shocked. "Oh dear, oh dear!" she exclaimed. "This is something rather extraordinary." Breanna rolled her eyes again.  
  
They went up to the top floor where Fuuko instructed the wind to gently set them down, and Ligeia rushed to the double doors. "This is the Star Tower," she said, turning her head to address the group. "This is the suite of Princess Giselle, the Princess of Star Divining."  
  
She then pushed the doors open and inside was a very large room, as large as Bink's observatory. Yet while Bink's observatory had moving models that corresponded to the real thing, this room only had a large telescope and bits of glittering dust scattered about everywhere.  
  
"Ligeia, is that you?" called a soft voice.  
  
"Yes, Princess Giselle, there's guests of King Julian to see you," Ligeia replied. The princess walked into the observatory.  
  
"Oh, hello!" she exclaimed. "I'm Giselle Lanford, princess of Star Divining! Who are you?"  
  
Zeth stepped up and introduced them all, and explained his relationship with the king. The princess smiled at everyone. She was cute in the same way Cat was, with a shining halo of golden hair and a bright buttercup yellow gown. Set in her flaxen hair was a miniscule silver crown, and her eyes were cornflower blue. "Nice to meet you all! So I take it you've already met my sister Rochelle?"  
  
Zaria nodded. "Yes, we've met the princess. But there seems to be a problem-"  
  
Princess Giselle put her hand up to shush Zaria, and then she turned to Ligeia. "Ligeia, you may go now. I will show my grandfather's guests around. Just wait downstairs and prepare their resting quarters, please."  
  
"Yes, Princess Giselle." Ligeia curtsied and quickly left the room.  
  
Princess Giselle turned back to Zaria. "Zaria, is what you were going to say about Prince Thomas Luke Lockhart the Second?" she inquired.  
  
Zaria nodded. "Yes, Princess, I-"  
  
"Let me explain to you about what has happened to Prince Luke," Princess Giselle continued. "Prince Luke is a distant cousin, and he used to visit the Twin Castle of Heide Tiseau often, almost every summer in fact. I remember when we all were very young and Prince Logan was still living at the Crystal Palace, Prince Logan and Prince Luke would come here and them and Rochelle and I would play together. Then, Prince Logan mysteriously disappeared. King Rufus was desolate, and the visits stopped. He searched and searched for his oldest son, and though he found out that Logan had been secretly kidnapped to a small farming town, by the time he received that information, the Toki government had already destroyed that particular town. Logan's body was never found, so King Rufus still believes that his son is still alive. Yet, as the Crown Prince has not yet been found, Prince Luke must prepare to take the position of King once King Rufus retires or passes away. Our parents planned to have us unite Northern Nova and Southern Nova, so Prince Luke is to marry either Rochelle or me.  
  
"Prince Luke used to be one of my good friends when I was young, almost as close to me as Rochelle was. He was never really close to Rochelle, but always close to me. We confided in each other about almost everything. Then when I turned fourteen, my feelings seemed to change . . ." the princess blushed. "I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I didn't know whether Luke was experiencing any change in his feelings, but we were still as close as two people could be. But then, about half a year ago, he seemed to undergo a traumatic alteration in his personality. He became more distant and clipped towards me, and everyone else as well. At first I thought we were just drifting, so I tried harder to be friendlier towards him. Once I came upon him while he was in his room alone. I just opened the door and walked in like I always did. The room had a strange green light glowing inside, but I couldn't track the source. I stayed there waiting for him, waiting to ask him what was going on, although I was scared out of my mind. A few minutes later he emerged from one of the rooms on the side, and saw me amongst the green mist. His normally vibrant hazel eyes were narrowed into slits, and the pupils in them seemed to shrink. He looked at me with a gaze full of contempt. I was frightened, but I tried to talk to him. He began to shout at me, telling me not to bother him and not to barge in on others uninvited. He threatened that if I told anyone about what I had seen, he would slit my throat. I started to cry and ran out of the room. I was up all night that night crying and thinking about what had happened, wondering. I looked into the stars, and they told me that someone or something far away, something that did not exist on this planet was controlling him. Nobody believed me, not even my most trusted associates.  
  
"A week later, he went to my father and asked for Rochelle's hand in marriage. I was devastated, yet I didn't wish that he had asked for mine. I'm seventeen, barely old enough to be married, and I want live happily with Luke, but not with the Luke that he has become. I want him to be the Luke he once was. But I don't know what to do. Now he's obsessed with trying to force Rochelle to marry him, and she doesn't want to. I don't know why, but I do know that once they are married, he will seize power of the entire continent, and who knows what he will do in this state of mind. I really need your help!" Princess Giselle finished, her eyes looking at them pleadingly.  
  
Zeth opened and closed his mouth, speechless. "I think that some force beyond human power is operating here," said Fuuko, her eyes narrowed. Breanna nodded. "Yeah. Green mist? A sudden change of personality?" She turned to the princess. "Princess Giselle, does he remember things from before?"  
  
The princess's eyes widened. "I believe not, in fact. He's seemed to have forgotten many things. Do you think . . .?"  
  
"I don't think, I know," put in Breanna. "Your stars were right. Something's taken control of his mind. Something that might have to do with our mission," she finished, slowly turning to Zaria.  
  
Zaria furrowed her brow. "I don't see how it's related to the Black Hole Project, but it seems like something from another planet has the power to control minds, a power so strong that it's interplanetary."  
  
"These are uncanny forces we're dealing with," said Zitan, his eyes wide. "Magic is always extraterrestrial, Zaria, but this sounds different from simply being called 'magic'. This is more than magic . . . it's like how your Holy power is attuned to you . . . this seems to be a power that only a Being would be able to use . . ."  
  
"And how do you know this? And what the heck is a Being?" Cat demanded.  
  
"It's included in the history of this continent," piped up Princess Giselle. "It most likely occurred throughout the entire planet, but in Nova the ancient texts only talk about our history. Many thousands of years ago, approximately 50,000 years, there was a war, even bigger than the Mage war. Well, to say it bluntly, it was much bigger than the Mage War. It was massive. It is perhaps one of the long-term causes of the Mage war and many other peculiarities and mishaps. It is called the Interplanetary War. It was basically a war between Humans and Beings. Our weapon was our magic, and their weapons were a power similar to magic, but not quite the same thing. In some level of understanding, it was magic, but it used different kinds of sources. It was fundamentally a different force. All creatures participated in the war, for the Beings were invading our planet. Back then, almost everyone had the ability to use some sort magic no matter how minor, but some people were spectacularly powerful with magic. The leaders of our side were three people. Their names were Zelda, Illius and Castor. Zelda wielded the Universal Holy, the rarest and most powerful kind of Holy there is. The Universal Holy is capable of many, many things. Illius had Apocalypse magic. There is only one kind of Apocalypse, but the power of it depends on the sheer amount of willpower the user has. Illius was very potent with Apocalypse. Castor controlled Destruction magic. It was he who refined it and developed it into the lower intensity Ultima magic. Ultima therefore derives from Destruction, but has a more controlled quality, yet it is harder to use, being more attuned to humans. It is by no means more powerful than Destruction, though. These three bravely led the troops out to battle and came back victorious many a time.  
  
"The leaders of the Beings were two Beings, twins named Miefe and Ciefe. Miefe was the more violent twin, and was the one who was more set on conquest. Beings are indescribable unless you actually see one, but no one has seen an officially identified one for 50,000 years. It is said that they're very similar to us Humans. Anyhow, the Humans defeated the Beings and chased them back to their planet, but there was always the risk that the Beings would someday strike again, and it was impossible to send out our planet's troops to their planet to fight. So the three leaders, Zelda, Illius and Castor, sacrificed their lives by using their own life force combined with their magic, their very essence, to create a barrier. They put every bit of magic they had in them to create the barrier that would block out the Beings. It was a demeaning and time-consuming job, but still, the power of the barrier was unsure. There were leaks and cracks in the barrier, and if nothing was done, the fall of this planet could be at hand. Zelda, Illius and Castor could do nothing about those cracks, but Zelda pleaded for the help of the Divine Ones, the creators of the universe, and they granted her a spell, which she cast upon the entire planet. Every time that the planet was under a Being threat, the Divine Warriors would be called upon to renew the barrier and save the world. If they succeeded, then we would never have to be concerned about Being attacks again for all eternity.  
  
"From what I have read from the stars, only twice have the Divine Warriors been summoned. Once, as the Star Warriors, who failed in renewing the barrier. The second time, as the Mage Warriors, who I know you are," Princess Giselle said softly. She turned to Zitan. "So you think that a Being is somehow controlling Prince Luke's mind?" she asked.  
  
Zitan nodded slowly. "I think so," he replied.  
  
"Wait!" exclaimed Zack. "I still don't get all this Interplanetary War business. So the reason we're being called upon is not just to seal a Black Hole? And how do we even know if there really are any Divine creators of the universe? This just makes things so much more complicated!"  
  
"I'm sorry," Princess Giselle said. "But you must have the qualities to save the world, or else the spell wouldn't have chosen you."  
  
"All this, the result of a damn 50,000 year old spell," Adrian muttered, shaking his head.  
  
Zaria was leaning on Zeth's shoulder, shaking her head. "Galen, he was so stupid!" she cried. "That Magic Bandicoot, it was a Being! And he . . ."  
  
Zeth shushed her and held her in his arms, rocking her back and forth. "Everything makes sense now," he murmured. "Everything that has happened . . . it makes so much more sense than it did before. Although I know that there is probably more to it than just this."  
  
"Galen couldn't fight a Being like that all alone without knowing its nature! I should've known, should've told him!" she sobbed. "How would it make sense that one of the most wonderful people in the world died for no reason?" she demanded.  
  
Zeth pulled her closer to him. "We can't do anything about it now," he whispered in her ear. "But we can in a way avenge Galen's death by succeeding in our known mission." Zaria didn't reply.  
  
"Um, who's Galen?" Cat asked tentatively. Zeth looked up.  
  
"Galen . . . he was a special person," he replied softly. He then told them about Galen and relayed the events that had occurred during the Mage War that had resulted in his separation with Zaria. Everyone listened sympathetically.  
  
When he had finished talking, Zack walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said gently. Zeth smiled a sad smile. "It's all in the past . . . now we must help Princess Giselle and Princess Rochelle, and continue on our mission to build the barrier."  
  
Everyone nodded in agreement. Princess Giselle stood up. "I'm going to take you all to Prince Luke's room now, if you're all ready," she said, nodding towards them. Zeth looked at everyone, who nodded, so he turned to Princess Giselle and nodded his consent.  
  
"We're ready," he said. Princess Giselle walked towards the door and pushed it open, and they all followed her out of the room and down the steps of the tower. They walked to another section of the castle. Princess Giselle stopped in front of a door and turned to them. "This," she said dramatically, "is Prince Luke's suite. Let me know when you're ready to enter."  
  
"I'm ready to enter now," Cat declared. Fuuko solemnly nodded.  
  
"Yeah, let's just do it!" exclaimed Breanna.  
  
"Any objections?" Adrian asked, turning to look at everyone. No one said anything. Zeth turned to Princess Giselle.  
  
"We're ready, Princess."  
  
The Princess nodded and pushed the double doors open. "Prince Luke!" she shouted. "It is me, Princess Giselle, and I have come to see you."  
  
Prince Luke barged into the room with an ugly snarl on his face. "Princess Giselle," he sneered. "How many times have I told you never to come in here? This time I really will slit your throat," he said irately, charging towards Princess Giselle.  
  
Zeth jumped in front of the princess, his sword drawn. "If you want to get to the Princess, you'll have to get through me first," he said, his eyes narrowed.  
  
"Ah, a Mage warrior right here in front of me!" Prince Luke said in a completely inhuman voice, staring at Zeth. Zack and Adrian jumped to Zeth's side, Zack with his spear pointed, Adrian in his morphed mode, pumping his wings and holding his bow and arrow in ready position.  
  
"Zitan, take Princess Giselle out of here!" Zeth shouted.  
  
Zitan nodded and turned to the princess. "Sorry, Princess," he said, hauling her up on his shoulder and running out of the room.  
  
Zaria, Fuuko, Cat and Breanna stood in the back. Cat had her whip ready to strike, Zaria had her twin swords ready in each hand, Breanna had her fighting gloves on, and Fuuko had her Claw of Wind invoked and ready.  
  
"Let me through!" Prince Luke shouted in his inhuman voice.  
  
Zeth shook his head defiantly. "We will never let you through," he hissed.  
  
Prince Luke looked enraged. "Then die!" he screeched, and leaped towards them. Zeth, Zack and Adrian jumped towards Prince Luke and attacked simultaneously, yet the Prince defended himself very well. Adrian managed pierce the prince with one arrow and Zeth slashed at him a few times. Zack whirled his spear around, skimming the Prince's body, but Prince Luke dodged expertly.  
  
"They need help!" Zaria shouted, and she jumped forward. She landed behind Prince Luke and crossed her swords in front of his neck, holding him still. "Now!" she shouted. Breanna darted forward and punched the prince's face and hitch-kicked him in the stomach. Zaria released him as he slumped to the ground.  
  
"I just knocked him out," Breanna said in a satisfied tone, brushing herself off.  
  
Zaria knelt down beside the Prince. "I'm going to heal him," she said. She was about to put her hands on his forehead when the room seemed to shake.  
  
"What was that?" Adrian cried out in alarm. Zeth drew his sword.  
  
"I don't know, but it doesn't sound good." He turned to Zaria. "Zaria, get out of range!"  
  
But it was too late. Prince Luke had gotten up and was holding onto Zaria. Zaria's eyes were full of fear. "I don't think I need this human flesh anymore," Prince Luke said, and then he slumped to the ground once more. Zaria tried to scramble away, but couldn't help but look on in horror as a gigantic beast tossed the prince's body away like it was as light as a feather. The beast reached for Zaria and picked her up and tossed her into the wall. She cried out in pain and slumped to the floor. Cat ran to her side.  
  
"Zaria!" Cat cried, and fumbled in her pocket and got out some healing elixir and put it to Zaria's lips. As Zaria swallowed the liquid, she looked revitalized but was still injured. "Wait here," Cat instructed and went to join the others as they fought valiantly.  
  
The beast howled and scratched at Zeth, who momentarily drew back. Then he stepped forward again. "Who are you?" he shouted. "A Being?"  
  
"No, but I come from the world of Beings, and I have come to destroy you by order of my master, Miefe," the beast replied.  
  
"Miefe!" Fuuko exclaimed. "Isn't that one of the 50,000 year old Being leaders?"  
  
"No more talk!" the beast shouted. "You must die!" The beast charged towards Fuuko, but she stuck out her Claw of Wind and blocked it. It pushed the Claw away and Fuuko went tumbling backwards.  
  
She managed to stand up, panting. "We need to use magic!" she shouted. "Normal attacking means will not work with this beast! It thrives on brute strength!"  
  
"Apocalypse Tetra Flare!" Zack yelled, and the Apocalypse magic swirled down and struck the beast. It howled in pain but continued to attack them.  
  
"Ultima Extreme Pulsar Wave!" Zeth shouted and a wave of Ultima magic went through the room. The beast was thrown back, but stood up again.  
  
"Thunder!" Cat cried, and a large bolt of lightning struck the beast. "Tornado!" Fuuko yelled, and a wind vortex surrounded the beast. Yet still, it stood.  
  
"This thing just won't die! Flare!" Adrian shouted, and a ring of fire surrounded the beast and swallowed it up, yet the beast emerged from the flames, only slightly burned and even angrier.  
  
"Earthquake!" Breanna bellowed, and the ground that the beast stood upon shook violently and threw the beast around. The beast retaliated and swung its claws, striking everyone.  
  
"Ugh," Zeth groaned, struggling to stand up. He managed to stand up along with everyone else. "Yaaakkhh!" he shouted and he charged forward and pierced the beast with his sword.  
  
The beast howled and clawed at Zeth, throwing him on the floor. "DIE!" the beast shouted.  
  
Then all of a sudden a blinding white light surrounded the beast. Zeth shielded his eyes as the beast howled and writhed in pain. The white light seemed to dissolve the beast, and finally it disappeared completely. The white light disappeared. Zaria breathed a sigh of relief and dropped down on the floor, closing her eyes. She was exhausted.  
  
Zeth pulled himself up and ran over to Zaria. Everyone surrounded her. "For goodness sake, give her some air!" Zack shouted, and everyone but Zack and Zeth stepped back.  
  
"I think she used the Universal Holy," Adrian whispered. Cat overheard and nodded. "Yes, she has used the ultimate white magic that exists on this universe. The same one that Zelda of the Interplanetary War used. And she has saved us all from that beast."  
  
"Zaria, are you all right?" Zeth cried. He put the vial of healing elixir on her lips and poured it down her throat. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open. "Zaria!" Zack exclaimed.  
  
Zaria sat up, moaning. "Ugh, my head," she muttered. She turned to them all and smiled. "Well, we all destroyed the beast, and probably saved Prince Luke as well."  
  
"Did someone say my name?" asked Prince Luke, standing up. Everyone turned their heads to look at the prince. Even in his tattered state, he radiated charm and authority, for he was once again his true self. He walked towards the group. "I can't even begin to apologize for what I've done during these past few months, but as you all know, I wasn't myself. My body was taken over by the Being monster and no matter how much I tried I couldn't take control. One day, I woke up and was no longer in control over my body, and stayed like that until you folks came. Thank you for saving me and many others."  
  
Just then, King Julian, Queen Yvette, Princess Rochelle and Princess Giselle burst into the room. "Zeth!" the king boomed. "What happened here?" Zeth then explained what and why the situation was the way it was.  
  
"Oh my," said Queen Yvette. She walked over to Prince Luke. "Luke, dear, are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine now, Aunt Yvette," Prince Luke replied. "I apologize to everyone for anything that I have done these past few months. But I have one very special apology to make." He turned to Princess Giselle. "Giselle," he said softly.  
  
The Princess's eyes filled up with tears. "Luke," she whispered.  
  
Prince Luke walked towards her. "Giselle, I'm so sorry for the way I've treated you." He glanced at Princess Rochelle. "Rochelle, I know you don't want to marry me, but that's all right, because I'm not ready to marry anyone yet, but when the time comes, I know who will be ruling Nova, or Northern Nova at least, at my side," he said, gazing at Princess Giselle, who blushed. He stepped over to the Princess and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Giselle, for treating you so cruelly. When I was not myself, you were the only one who cared enough to come visit me, try to see what's wrong. You were always there for me, and I would give you the world after what you've done for me," he whispered in her ear.  
  
Princess Giselle turned bright pink. "It's all right, Luke, just as long as you're safe now," she replied, pulling away so she could look into his eyes. "I've always dreamed of this moment, you know," she said pensively.  
  
"That's so adorable!" Zaria exclaimed, clasping her hands together. Princess Rochelle looked very pleased. King Julian laughed heartily. "Well, now that everything's settled! It's almost evening, and it's been a big day for all of us, but the day is not yet over! Tonight the banquet will be in honor of these heroic warriors!"  
  
"Who are also the Warriors of Mage, fated to save the world!" Princess Giselle added, turning to the group.  
  
"Gee," Cat said bashfully.  
  
"It's our pleasure to serve thee," Zack declared proudly.  
  
"We're happy to help!" Fuuko chimed in cheerfully.  
  
"I guess we have no choice but to accept our fate," Adrian shrugged, smiling.  
  
"We're a good team, you gotta admit," Breanna told Adrian.  
  
"Maybe we can make it, if we all work together," Zaria said, turning up to look at Zeth and smiling at him.  
  
"I never thought otherwise," Zeth replied, grinning back down at Zaria. "Hey guys!" Zitan boomed from out of nowhere. "Ligeia has our room ready!"  
  
King Julian and Queen Yvette left the room, and Princess Rochelle turned back to the group. "Thank you all so much for helping us," she said gently in her high-pitched voice. "Please enjoy yourselves tonight. After you're settled in your rooms please go see Ligeia about your evening wear." She then turned on her heel and left the room.  
  
"Evening wear?" Cat said, puzzled. Princess Giselle laughed frivolously. "Yes. It would be our pleasure to see you all dressed up in royal finery."  
  
Prince Luke looked at them warmly, still holding on to Princess Giselle. "I have to thank you all so much for saving my life and Giselle's as well. If you ever need anything, feel free to ask any of us for help. We're at your service anytime, anyplace."  
  
"Thank you, your highnesses," said Zeth humbly.  
  
"No need to have all this 'highnesses' and 'majesties' talk," Princess Giselle said. "We're all friends, right?"  
  
Zeth smiled. "Yes, Princess Giselle."  
  
  
  
  
  
As you can see, everything in this story is getting more complex. It gets more complicated than this, trust me. I hope you like it! Please review, and inform when you want updates. 


	9. Chapter 09 Starlight

Starlight 

"Wow! This room suits its reputation of being in such a ornate castle like this!" Cat exclaimed, looking around the impressive guest suite they were all lodging in. She opened the door to the bedroom. "Oh my! This room is enormous! Eight beds!"

Zaria peered inside. The room was spectacularly furnished with a starry motif. "This is nice," she agreed. "But we should hurry, it's almost evening and there's still much to do, according to Ligeia."

They all put their stuff down on the beds and went to see Ligeia, who was waiting diligently by the door.

"All the ladies please follow me to the dressing room," Ligeia instructed. "The men may be dressed in their warrior attire, but the ladies must change!"

Zaria, Cat, Breanna and Fuuko reluctantly followed Ligeia out of the room. Zeth shrugged and plopped down on one of the beds. "I guess we wait," he said.

Ligeia opened the door to the dressing room. "Please come in." Zaria entered the room first, closely followed by Cat, Fuuko and Breanna. "Oh, wow," she said, gazing at all the elegant dresses on the racks. "We're going to dress up in these? But these garments are even finer than what Princess Rochelle and Princess Giselle wore," she said.

Ligeia smiled. "Princess Rochelle insisted," she said. "Please select the gown of your choice."

"Pick? How are we supposed to pick out of all these?" Cat exclaimed. "You can choose for me, Ligeia," Cat said, walking away.

"Yeah, me too," added Fuuko.

"I want this one," Zaria cut in firmly, marching towards a gown that looked exactly like the one she had worn on the excursion she had on the moon. It had the exact same amethyst hues and tones and it even had the glittering snowy tiara and long ivory gloves. She tried it on and the elaborately designed bodice fit her perfectly. It was as if Princess Louvia had somehow transferred the dress from the moon down to the planet, just for Zaria to wear on this occasion.

"Oh my!" Ligeia exclaimed. "It seems like that dress was made distinctively for you, dear. You look indubitably stunning in it."

"Thank you," Zaria replied, smiling.

"Now, now, go put this in your hair," Ligeia said, handing Zaria the coronet and gloves and pushing her in the direction of another lady. "Orb will do it for you."

Ligeia then turned to Cat. "Miss Cat, I believe you do look finest in saffron, or maybe an off-white creamy tinge would be better," she said, scrutinizing Cat. "Your frame is very petite, so I think this one would be best," Ligeia finished, taking out an opalescent off-white cap-sleeved gown trimmed with golden pearls.

"Whoa, no way!" Cat exclaimed.

"Come on Cat, this is a once in a lifetime thing," Breanna said, laughing.

"It's very darling, and it would look perfect on you," Fuuko chimed in.

Cat wrinkled her nose. "OKAY, okay, I'll wear it," she grumped, and stomped into the changing room.

After generating a bunch of shuffling sounds, grunts and complaints Cat stepped out garbed in the extravagant gown. "That looks really nice," Fuuko said appreciatively. Breanna nodded in agreement.

"Lovely!" Ligeia declared. "Leave those dear violet locks of yours down. Orb will brush it and style it for you." Ligeia then turned to Fuuko and looked her over. "Miss Fuuko…let's see…you have an almost ivory complexion and ebony hair…willowy figure…I think that any color would look nice on you, but now it all depends on the style. I think you could pull off a two-piece!" She picked a light cobalt two-piece gown off the rack. "This one, with a sequined strapless top and a crinoline skirt," she declared, "would look exquisite on you, Miss Fuuko. The color complements your eyes as well!"

"Isn't that kind of…overstated?" Fuuko asked hesitantly.

Breanna giggled. "Isn't that what you want, Fuuko?" she prompted roguishly. Fuuko scowled at her and reluctantly went to put the dress on and brushed out her hair. "That looks perfect, Fuuko," Breanna said shrewdly, and then she turned to Ligeia. "I'll just wear what I have on now," she informed her.

"No, no, no!" Ligeia exclaimed. "I have just the thing for you, Miss Breanna." She ran over to the racks and plucked out a halter gown and brought it back to Breanna.

"Baby pink!" Breanna exclaimed, wrinkling her nose with distaste. "No, I don't think so. Even though it is really nice," she admitted, stroking the material of the skirt. It had the same kind of color scheme as Zaria's, the tint turning darker as it went down.

"Oh, please, just try it on, Miss Breanna. You're so attractive that it would be a shame to not wear garments that accentuate your comeliness."

"All right," Breanna consented, giving her acquiescence. She went into the changing room and changed. She walked out, adjusting the elbow-length gloves. "I feel so uncomfortable," she complained.

"You look lovely!" Ligeia exclaimed, bustling about, adjusting the gown. "Now go let Orb brush your hair out!" She shooed Breanna to the next room and sat down with relief. Princess Rochelle would be delighted.

Ligeia entered the room where the four guys were comfortably lounging and clapped her hands. "The ladies are ready!" she said, looking elated. "Would all you gentlemen please follow me to the Chamber of the Sun where the banquet is being held."

They all wearily followed Ligeia to the Chamber of the Sun, but once they entered, they regained their strength when they saw all the food. "This is all for us?" Zack exclaimed incredulously. "Hey, let's eat!"

"Zack, not so fast!" exclaimed Adrian, his eyes wide. He pointed. "Look there!"

Zack turned around to the direction in which Adrian was pointing and saw Fuuko was standing there, a small smile on her face. She laughed nervously. "Hey, Zack."

"Fuuko!" Zack exclaimed excitedly, and sped over to her side. "Why don't we get something to eat together?"

Zeth laughed. "Hey, where's Zaria?" he asked Cat.

Cat shrugged. "Find her, Zeth," she said enigmatically and giggled. She looked elegant and mature in her gown, and her hair cascaded down her back in violet waves. She had sprouted her wings and had them tucked behind her, which added to her grace and made her look like an angel. "Adrian!" she exclaimed, peering behind Zeth.

Zeth smiled and moved on to look for Zaria, but was then intercepted by Breanna. "Zeth!" she said, grabbing his arm. "Dance with me!"

"I-I-" Zeth stammered, but then Breanna grabbed his other arm and started dancing.

He stopped arguing and relaxed. "Bree, you look real nice," he said.

Breanna smiled. "Maybe, but I know you only have eyes for your precious Zaria," she said, looking away.

"What do you mean?" Zeth asked. Breanna raised her spellbinding gaze so that she was looking into his phosphorescent aqua eyes.

"I have to admit, you are quite a guy, but I know that you and Zaria are meant to be," she replied, shrugging. He looked mystified. She smiled. "When this dance is over, go find her," she said cheerfully, shrugging off the issue. "She's waiting for you. You don't want her to catch a cold all alone out there, do you?"

"She's outside?" Zeth asked.

Breanna laughed and shrugged again. "You'll find her, I'm sure," she replied. The dance ended and Breanna turned to look at Zeth. "Don't tell Zaria," she said, and went on her toes and pecked Zeth on the cheek. "My only chance to kiss someone as wonderful as you," she said, her expression rueful. "Be happy, and protect her like you said you would." She started to walk away, letting her eyes linger on Zeth, finally wrenching her gaze away and ran over to Zitan, dragging him out onto the dance floor.

Zeth looked after her, not knowing what to think. "Don't worry, Bree," he said softly. "I'll protect her, for everyone's sake." He then turned away, continuing to search for Zaria.

Zeth went up to where Princess Giselle and Prince Luke were standing. "Oh, hello, Zeth!" Prince Luke exclaimed. "Where's Zaria?"

Zeth shrugged. "I'm looking for her," he answered.

Princess Giselle smiled slyly. "Look real hard," she said, and laughed. Zeth then walked up to where Princess Rochelle, King Julian and Queen Yvette were perched.

"Hello, Zeth," Princess Rochelle said sweetly. "It's nice to see people having fun, isn't it?" Zeth nodded. "Fanciful dresses and other material things are not enough to make a girl illuminate and radiate with happiness, making her truly beautiful," the princess said thoughtfully, eyeing Zeth. He tilted his head, puzzled. "It is the knowledge that she is loved by a cherished one which will make her shine with effulgence and natural beauty," the princess finished. She smiled at Zeth. "You are every girl's fantasy of the knight in shining armor riding on a white horse, but the only girl whose dream will become reality is her. Go find her, and tell her." The princess then turned away, leaving Zeth even more disconcerted.

"Zeth! We have so much to catch up on!" King Julian said from behind Zeth, his old eyes animated with exuberance and gaiety. Zeth turned around to face the king. "But I know that you don't exactly have a lot of free time on your hands, so we'll reminisce some other time. Giselle has told me everything, and I will tell you anything I can tomorrow," the King finished.

"Thank you, King Julian," Zeth replied humbly, and bowed down low.

Queen Yvette turned to Zeth. "Zeth, I believe Zaria's waiting for you. Go to her," the Queen said, winking. Zeth flushed and thanked the queen and walked away. Everyone seemed to be in on some kind of secret…they all were saying the same kind of things…go to her, go see her, go tell her, go protect her, go make her happy. He would do those things anyway without having to have been told. Zaria was the most valuable thing in the universe to him. Where was Zaria anyway? He once more scanned the throng of people. He just couldn't seem to find her amongst all the nobles at the banquet. He sighed and went out to the balcony and gazed up at the stars. There was a crescent moon that night, and the stars were glimmering brilliantly. A soft breeze was in the air, making Zeth feel cool and reinvigorated. He turned towards the wind and vaguely saw Zaria standing on the far side of the terrace.

He silently walked towards her, and she turned around to face him, her head slightly bowed down, wisps of dark hair softly whipping across her face. She looked radiant in the moonlight. She truly was a precious angel of the moon sent down from the Divine Ones above, and it was his duty to cherish her and protect her. She continued to walk towards him, seemingly floating, until she was standing a foot or so away from him. The glittering snowy tiara in her hair sparkled from the starlight shining down on them.

Although they had been through so much, she remained as the same wonderful Zaria, except that they both had matured in many ways over the events that had occurred.

He took a deep breath. Zeth had always known that she had raw beauty, but he had never seen her looking so stunning. She stepped towards him, keeping her head slightly bent, and slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Her gentle gaze was probing, as if she was waiting for his reaction.

"You look beautiful," he said simply, smiling softly at her. The corners of her lips slowly rose, and her skin turned a sweet shade of pink.

"It's just this dress…it does a whole lot for me…without it then I'm just plain old Zaria," she stammered, blushing.

"That's not true," Zeth said gently. He stepped closer towards her.

"Thank you," she said shyly. She then turned to face the stars. "I was just standing here, looking at the stars," she said wistfully, brushing back the wisps of hair blowing in her face. Zeth turned around to face the stars as well, and then saw a shooting star plummet across the sky. Zaria turned back to Zeth, smiling shyly, and he turned back towards her. She pointed to the shooting star. "I just made a wish on that shooting star. Do you think it will come true?"

He stepped even closer to her, seeing nothing but the depths of those intense, vivid emerald eyes. "Yes. Because I wished the same thing," he said softly. Wordlessly, he slipped his arms around her waist and she gazed into the brightly illuminated sea blue-green windows to his soul, which seemed rugged on the outside but on the inside was the softest, most tender, gentlest soul there could possibly be. "Zeth," she whispered, a single tear of rapture sliding down her cheek just as his lips met hers for the first time in sixty long years.

"I'm tired, but I still wanna party!" Cat exclaimed, jumping on the bed.

"I'm just tired," Zaria declared, climbing into her bed. "It's been a long…and special day," she said softly, turning her eyes towards Zeth, and then shifting them away. She lay down. "Good night, everyone."

"Good night, Zaria," Fuuko answered.

"Aw, come on, don't sleep now!" Cat whined.

Zeth walked over to Zaria's bed and stood over her, gazing at her. He reached down and pulled the blanket up higher. "Zzz, zzz," went Zaria.

Zeth smiled and sat down on the next bed. "Aw, Zeth, you ain't sleepin' now, are ya?" Zack slurred.

"Zack, I think this time you had too much to drink," Breanna smirked. Zack, who was sitting next to Breanna, fell down dead asleep on her lap.

"Get off!" she screeched, quickly getting up. Zack fell to the floor, groaning.

"So tired…but still gonna have some fun! Hey, Bree, let's get married!"

Breanna rolled her eyes. "Zack, you just go to sleep," she said.

"No, don't do that," warned Zitan. "It's dangerous to put a drunk person to sleep."

Breanna shrugged and glared at Zack and Zeth. "Well it seems that some people do that to me all the time." Zeth looked away nonchalantly.

"I have an idea, let's go raid the castle kitchens for a midnight snack!" Adrian piped up.

Fuuko sighed exasperatedly. "You guys are still not full?" she demanded.

Adrian laughed. "We're never full, Fukiko," he said gleefully.

"That nickname will stick for sure," Fuuko sighed, pulling up the covers and turning over to sleep.

"Fukiko, don't sleep yet!" Adrian shouted, jumping on the bed. "Yeah!" Cat chimed in, jumping on her own bed. "What should we do?"

"I'm going to sleep," Zeth announced, lying down on the bed and pulling up the covers. "Good night and see you all tomorrow. Don't sleep too late or tomorrow morning when we have to wake up you'll regret it."

"No we won't!" Cat shouted. "Three hours of sleep a night is plenty for me!" There was no reply from Zeth.

Zitan shook his head and laughed. "Well, you guys can stay awake but I'm sleeping too," he said.

"Fine, be a party pooper," Cat said, waving her hand. She turned to Adrian. "Let's do something."

"Let's get married, Bree," Zack said drunkenly.

"How about no," Breanna replied winsomely. "For once, I'm going to sleep before everyone else. Good riddance and good night!" she declared, flopping down on the bed.

"Aww," Zack whined, and then turned to Cat. "Okay then, Cat, let's go get married now!"

"Okay!" Cat exclaimed, jumping up and down. Zack smiled and then fell down headfirst on the bed, snoring.

"Ha ha," Adrian said, pointing to Zack. Then he turned back to Cat and was about to say something when he saw that she had fallen asleep as well. He smiled and picked her up and carried her over to her bed and pulled the covers over her. Then he went to his bed and went to sleep.

"That's how it is," Zeth finished. King Julian nodded. Zeth had just explained the situation that they were in to the king.

"I see," the King replied. "Well then," said King Julian. "What we must do is to have you go to Northern Nova, for I sure do not know much about this subject. If anyone here knows, it's Giselle, and I don't think she knows."

"But I would feel guilty imposing on royalty," Zeth said contritely.

"Nonsense!" the king cried. "You have helped the planet in so many ways, it's the least we can do to express our gratitude. Anyway, you saved Prince Luke, and everyone in the continent of Nova has been notified of your noble deeds. You all are heroes welcome anywhere."

"All of Nova has been notified?" Zeth asked in disquietude. "But…Zaria is wanted by the Toki government!"

The king looked dumbfounded. "She is? Oh yes…because she's a Locke…rest at ease, Zeth, the only surname known is yours. I mentioned no other names. They wouldn't know whether she was Zaria Locke or not, just that she's traveling with you."

Zeth sat back, still troubled. Wherever they went, they would have to be cautious not to divulge Zaria's true identity, lest she be captured. Of course, they would be able to tell those that they trusted.

"I have an idea," King Julian said thoughtfully. "Why don't you and Zaria get married? Then her name will formally be changed to Zaria Lanier."

Zeth turned bright pink. "Oh, I don't think that's necessary, King Julian," he said hurriedly. "We'll just make sure no one finds out who Zaria really is."

King Julian laughed heartily. "All right, but I think you denied that possibility a little too quickly…or have you already thought about that option?" he said slyly.

"Oh, no, not much at all," Zeth said, flushed. "We're not ready to get married…just yet. She's only eighteen…you know what, it's not a big problem anymore. Thank you for your help, King Julian." The king laughed even harder.

"Whatever you say, Zeth." Then his gaze turned longing and nostalgic. "You don't know how much I looked up to you when I was young, and how during the war I was always listening for news about you and wondering when you would come again. Who would've thought that I would have met you again sixty years later, yet with you looking not a day older, and with me as an old geezer."

Zeth smiled. "King Julian, you have done a wonderful job governing your kingdom…you should be proud of yourself."

The elderly king looked abashed. "No, I didn't do so well," he said morosely. "I was weak, letting the Toki seize control."

"It's not your fault. Those officials are so corrupt and intent on power that no one could stop them, but now we must do our best to protect the people," Zeth said emphatically.

King Julian nodded. "Yes, so today you will ride one of Heide Tiseau's ships over to Northern Nova, where I have already informed King Rufus and Queen Trisha that you will be visiting. They will probably know more about what you wish to know, and if they don't then they can refer you to someone else who does know. Prince Luke will accompany you back to his kingdom, where I'm sure you'll be well received."

"Thank you very much, King Julian," Zeth said, and then he stood up. "I must go wake the others now," he said.

"Yes, go ahead," said the king. Zeth bowed and left the Chamber of the Sun. He walked back to their quarters and entered the large bedroom. Everyone was still asleep, except for Zaria, who wasn't in her bed. Zeth scanned the room, looking for her, and finally saw her outside on the balcony. He quietly made his way over to her. She turned around to face him and smiled just as he approached her.

"What are you doing up so early?" she asked. He told her all that King Julian had told him. She nodded in discernment. "Zeth, I have a question…do you know that what it feel like to love?"

He blinked. "Um, why are you talking about that out of the blue?"

Zaria pursed her lips. "Answer my question. Do you know?"

His gaze softened. "Well I sure hope _you_ do, because I definitely feel that way about you," he replied.

She smiled softly, her eyes looking at him lovingly. She turned away. "Then you know how it is to always want your loved ones to be happy, no matter what you have to do, right?" she asked, leaning over the balcony. Zeth stared at her. Her hair was being blown back in the wind. She turned back to him, smiling, still leaning over the balcony. "I know you feel awkward, Zeth. That's all right."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you saying these things, Zaria?" She lowered her gaze. "I was just thinking…lately…I've been experiencing weird things," she said, and then turned away again.

"What? What things, Zaria?" Zeth asked her in alarm. She looked back at him, her eyes troubled.

"I…I can talk to the planet…to the very spirit of the planet…as well as the stars and the moon. They just tell me things…and I ask them things…and it's been making my life so much more discomfiting yet I feel enlightened. But I know that no one else in the world can do this…so I feel so alone. I don't know if I want to be able to do this or not! I hear voices all the time…and I just know where they're from. They're cries from the planet and from the souls of all those who died in pursuit of protecting the planet. I just don't know what to think," she whispered, burying her face in her hands. Zeth stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Well…I know it's a lot to handle, but why don't be you try to be a little more mature about it?" he asked candidly. She looked up at him, her eyes round.

"What?"

"You know that you are mature enough to handle something like this. Don't be so weak, Zaria. Be strong. There must be a very good reason that these abilities, if you can call them that, have been bestowed upon you. None of us may know why, or ever know. But still, we have to handle it."

Zaria was silent, just standing there still as stone, the strong breeze whipping her hair across her face. She sighed. "…I…I'll try," she said softly, turning her head to face the direction of the breeze. She closed her eyes and breathed in the ocean air. She turned back to Zeth and sighed deeply.

"Thank you," she said, her expression tender. "Thank you, Zeth."

He took a step closer to her. "Zaria, I-"

"Zeth! Zaria! You're here!" Cat exclaimed, bounding out onto the balcony. She peered out the view overlooking the ocean and shivered. "It's really pretty out here, but now the wind's kind of blowing hard," she said, turning to Zeth and Zaria.

"Zeth, why do you have such a sour expression on your face?" Cat asked. Then she looked from Zaria to Zeth. "Oh," she said, understanding. "Hee hee. Sorry. I'll just leave you two alone…" and with that Cat left.

Zeth turned back to Zaria. He then took a tentative step toward her again. "Zaria," he began, "I really-"

"Hey guys! It's really nice out here!" Zack declared, barging out onto the balcony. Zeth sighed and Zaria turned away and smiled politely.

"Good morning," she said tritely.

Zack laughed. "Ha ha, don't you know I know that you two want to be alone? I'll just leave now. See you two later. Oh, hurry up, King Julian requests our presence, but I'm sure you can spare a few moments," he said, winking. Zaria smiled weakly.

"See ya, Zack." Zack laughed again and left.

Zaria spun around to face Zeth. "Well, King Julian requests our presence," she said, shrugging. "Let's go." She then left and Zeth followed her inside.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone was assembled in front of the entire Southern Nova royal family.

"Well, this is goodbye for now," King Julian remarked.

"Yes, and we are grateful to you all," Queen Yvette said kindly. "You are all indeed worthy of your titles."

"Thank you, Queen Yvette," Zaria said humbly. Princess Giselle suddenly sprang forth and hugged all of them in turn.

"I'm going to miss you all!" she exclaimed. "Come back and visit us soon!"

Princess Rochelle nodded. "It has been a great pleasure meeting all of you," she said sweetly. "Goodbye."

"All right then, now Luke will take you on the ship to Northern Nova. First the ship will dock at Dias Point, one of the largest cities in Nova. I'm pretty sure that Zaria will be safe there, for it is not under Toki occupation. One day after the ship will take you to the capital city of Northern Nova, Denzeling, where Prince Luke will escort you to the Crystal Palace," King Julian explained.

"Thank you so much for your help, King Julian," Zeth said gratefully. "This is really too much."

Prince Luke then turned to Princess Giselle. "Goodbye, Giselle, I will see you soon," he said. "Then when the planet's future is secure, we will get married and rule Nova together."

"Yes," replied Princess Giselle, her eyes resplendent as stars. "Yes, I will wait for you, Luke. Distance makes the love even stronger."

"Okay, I don't need to hear this!" King Julian interrupted loudly. Princess Giselle looked abashed and Prince Luke simply smiled.

"Goodbye, Great Uncle Julian and Great Aunt Yvette," he said. Then he turned to Princess Rochelle. "See you some other time, Princess," he said affably. Then he turned to Zeth. "Let's go," he said. Before he turned to follow Prince Luke, Zeth and everyone else bid their last farewells.

They followed Prince Luke to the port. "Ahoy, voyagers," a man called walking towards them.

"That's Commodore Alen Tax," Prince Luke told everyone. The Commodore strolled over to them.

"Hello, hello!" he exclaimed, shaking Zeth's hand. "How do you do! Welcome to Neptune's Daughter, the ship that will be taking you to Northern Nova." He turned to Zack. "Are you Zack?" he asked.

Zack nodded. "Nice to meet you, Commodore Tax," Zack said. "Zack, your airplane will be safe here in Heide Tiseau, under the care of one of my assistants," he assured Zack, who relaxed and thanked him.

"Now, let's come aboard Neptune's Daughter!" the Commodore said eagerly. He led them onto the ship. Your sleeping quarters are down below. You may all take it easy until we reach Dias Point."

Everyone nodded and went about the ship to hang around. "Zeth Lanier?" the Commodore asked, turning to Zeth.

"Yes, Commodore Tax," Zeth replied. The Commodore grinned.

"Follow me." He led Zeth to the control room. "You seem like you have the grit to be a man of the sea, so I thought you might want to see what it's like in the control room," he said.

"Well, thank you," Zeth said, and sat down and faced forward overlooking the ocean. He crossed his arms in front of him. The Commodore stood proudly. Zeth looked down at the map in front of him.

"Torus," he read, scanning the map. He looked up at the Commodore. "Where is that? I've never heard of Torus."

"Torus is Hyrynd," Commodore Tax explained. "The king of Hyrynd changed the continent's name to Torus."

"Why would he do that?" Zeth asked, confused. The Commodore shrugged. "I don't know. And I can't think of a reasonable explanation either. It remains a mystery."

"I think that there has to be a very important reason that a king would change the name of his own domain," Zeth said thoughtfully.

"Well, maybe you'll find out someday, a sharp one like you," Commodore Tax replied, and turned away.

Zeth took a deep breath. That was something that he would have to think about. Maybe he would go ask the King of Northern Nova once they reached Denzeling.

The seagulls flew by swiftly, the wind was blowing gently, and the ocean breeze caused her hair to be whipped across and away from her face, instantly exhilarating her. Zaria smiled and took a deep breath, taking all of it in. It was so nice out at sea! Although she had felt very queasy earlier, after one of the ship's crew had given her a pill, she felt much better. She had thanked the crewmember and went to the bow of the ship, watching the ocean foam in the back of the boat. It was such a beautiful day, and this was such a beautiful place to be. She sighed contentedly. Even though life was tough, it was moments like these when she was consciously glad to be alive.

She turned around to face the deck. Hmm, where was Zeth? She hadn't seen him ever since they had boarded the Neptune's Daughter, which was about three hours ago. What could he be doing for so long? She shrugged to herself. Well, she would just have to go find him then. She scanned the deck and spied Fuuko doing the same thing she had been doing. She skipped over to Fuuko. Fuuko was so eye-catching, her glossy sable hair flying back behind her. When Fuuko heard Zaria approach, she turned around, smiling, and her long lustrous tresses seemed to flow out from the side of her head.

"Fuuko!" Zaria exclaimed pleasantly. "It's sure nice here, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes," Fuuko said dreamily, closing her eyes. "This air whipping across my face…it's great!" She opened her eyes again and smiled at Zaria. "The wind is so strong! Can you believe I've never been on any kind of boat before?"

Zaria smiled. "Anyway, I was just wondering, have you seen Zeth?"

Fuuko shook her head. "No, not since we boarded. Sorry."

"That's all right! Hey, wanna come look around the ship with me?" Zaria asked cheerfully.

"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks," Fuuko said. "I really like it here. Anyway, talk to ya later."

Zaria smiled and waved and walked away, looking for the others. She went below the deck and saw Zitan sitting amongst a large pile of magic orbs. He looked like a little child in his own secluded heaven.

"Zitan!" Zaria burst, running over to him. She tripped over the magic orbs, falling flat on her face.

"Owwwwww," she groaned. She pulled herself back up and looked at her brother. He had a restrained grin on his face. He shook his head and turned back to rearranging the magic orbs.

"Yo, Zitan!" Zaria yelled, hands on her hips.

He looked up. "Yes?" he answered amiably.

"Where'd you get all these magic orbs?" she demanded.

"I brought them with me!" Zitan said defensively. "All I'm doing is arranging them! Don't think too much, Zaria. They might be beneficial."

Zaria counted the magic orbs. He sure seemed to have stashed a lot of them along with him. "Whatever," she replied. "Anyway, have you seen Zeth?"

"Nope," Zitan answered, not looking up. "Not here. Go away, Sis."

"Whatever. Have fun being callous to any other of your comrades who happen to come by to see you," she said acrimoniously, and then left. She went back up and then went into a chamber on the upper deck. She entered the nearest room, which happened to be the kitchen.

"Oh, hello, Miss Zaria!" the chef exclaimed. "Are you hungry? I have some of this wonderful-"

"No, it's all right, I'm not hungry, just came to visit," Zaria said cheerfully. The chef nodded understandingly.

"You're looking for Mr. Zeth," he said, and turned back to chopping vegetables. "I think he's somewhere upstairs, I saw him follow Commodore Tax."

"Thank you!" Zaria exclaimed, jumping up and down. "I'll visit you later again!" she said happily, and then left the room and went upstairs to the control room, where Zeth was sitting, Commodore Tax standing next to the crewmember who was steering the boat.

"Zeth!" Zaria ran up to Zeth. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Mmmm," he replied absently, not even looking up.

She furrowed her brow. "Why do you look so serious?" she asked, batting him playfully.

"Nothing, nothing," he said quietly, almost to himself. Zaria shrugged.

"Well, you don't seem in the mood for anything fun, so I'll just see you around." She waved and left the room.

The Commodore turned to him. "Zeth!" he chastised. "I do believe that you should go apologize to Miss Zaria!"

"Huh?" Zeth said, looking up. He glanced around. "Hey, where's Zaria?" The Commodore and the crewmember steering the ship rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"Zaria left because you wouldn't say a word to her," Commodore Tax explained.

Zeth stood up with a start. "Oh, I did it again! I was too involved in…" he stood up. "See ya later, Commodore!" He then rushed off in the direction that Zaria had. Where could she have gone? He climbed the ladder up and saw Breanna standing alone in the lookout. Her eyes looked so far away.

"Bree, have you seen Zaria?" he asked hurriedly.

Breanna turned to him. "Zaria," she said softly, and then laughed airily. Her eyes looked so sad.

"What's wrong, Bree?" Zeth asked. Breanna shook her head and looked away again.

"No, I haven't seen Zaria," she replied. "She's probably down below."

"Okay, thanks!" Zeth said and quickly went back down the ladder. Breanna sighed and looked away. She felt so…trapped at times.

When she first saw Zeth, she had thought that he looked pretty good, very similar to someone that she had known before…but that person she had known before…that was what was puzzling her. She didn't recall knowing someone who looked like Zeth since her childhood, but still, sometimes she saw visions of a man with Zeth's color hair and Zeth's eyes and Zeth's disposition calling out to her.

Breanna shook her head. She didn't know why she had these visions…they were something private, something she hadn't revealed to anyone. But why? Why did she see these pictures in her head? During the night she would dream about herself in inexplicable scenarios, but in every one, that man was always there. She felt like she knew him well, and she would talk to him often, getting to know him even better. It was almost like it was…a recollection of a past life. No, but it couldn't be. There was no such thing as reincarnation…was there? Breanna felt so confused. Thinking about that man made her head hurt…it was just too much.

Thinking about Zeth…he was such a wonderful person, and seeing the way he treated Zaria made Breanna feel even more so. Yet still, he was kind to Breanna, and had defended her on that first day they met. Sometimes it made Breanna ache to see Zeth and Zaria together, and Breanna didn't know why. Was she jealous? No, she didn't think so…for they seemed so perfect for one another…but she was envious. She saw her ideal reality in them…and she envied them greatly for their happiness. Breanna sighed. All of a sudden, she wanted to see Zeth, to see his little mannerisms, to hear his voice, to look into those deep aqua eyes…even though she had no right she still wanted to. As if in a trance, she acknowledged herself climbing down the mast into the control room, where she saw the Commodore.

"Where's Zeth?" she heard herself saying.

"Hmm, seems like Zeth is quite popular with the ladies," the Commodore remarked. "Zeth went to look for Zaria."

"Oh yes, thank you," Breanna replied, and then all of a sudden her senses returned. What had she been thinking? The Commodore was now glancing at her askance. She sighed and went to the cabin, where Zack happened to be, sitting there in deep thought.

"Hi, Bree!" Zack exclaimed as soon as he spied Breanna. "Looking for something?"

"Nothing in particular," Breanna replied. "I just…oh, never mind." She turned away and sat down.

"Is something amiss?" Zack asked seriously, and then broke into a grin. "Hee hee, I've always wanted to say that."

Breanna shook her head. "No. I'm just confused with myself, I guess."

Zack's eyes widened. "Hey, that's something we have in common. Wanna talk?"

Breanna shrugged. "I guess. Hey, Zack, do you believe in reincarnation?"

Zack sat back. "Well, me in particular, I don't really know whether I believe it or not. What I believe is that when you die you find out, and I'm in no hurry to find out."

Breanna turned to him and leaned forward. "So you're not completely ruling out the possibility."

"Basically, yeah," Zack replied, shrugging. "In some cases though, reincarnation does make a lot of sense. Here's one thing think makes sense, though, in my secret, romantic heart. If two souls are soul mates, then they will always be, no matter how many times they are reincarnated or what kind of body they're in. According to that belief, reincarnation can or cannot be possible. It doesn't really matter, you see," he said pointedly.

Breanna nodded. "Yeah, I get your point. But then, what if those two souls never meet?"

Zack thought about that for a second. "Simple," he said. "Maybe in their past lives they had committed a lot of sins, so in this life they don't deserve to find the one they truly love, so they can never be truly fulfilled in that jurisdiction for that life."

"I must have been real vicious my last life," Breanna said, laughing.

Zack didn't laugh, but remained solemn. "Bree, you're only seventeen, ya know. Most of us are about the same age. We're barely old enough to be considering life partners. Zeth and Zaria, well, they're a completely different story. They…well they've seemed to find each other at a very early age. I mean, I'm not one of the Divine Ones, so I'm not decreeing anything, but it sure seems like it. I've never seen anyone like them, albeit Hyde and Faye, Fuuko's sister."

"Fuuko," Breanna said slowly. "Zack…what about you and Fuuko?"

"Hell, how am I supposed to know?" Zack declared, suddenly sounding frazzled. "Fuuko, well I can admit that I like her as a friend, but the other stuff…that's just too heavy. Me, I just wanna enjoy my young life while I can, have adventures, save the planet, be written about in the well-known historical texts as one of the great heroes of the past, the usual stuff. I think everyone should live for today, and enjoy today while you can, without forgetting about either the past or the future."

"…You know, I think I understand you a lot better, Zack," Breanna said suddenly.

"All I did was tell you what I thought," Zack replied modestly.

Breanna smiled appreciatively. "Well, thanks. I feel much better now."

"Hee hee, anytime," Zack said gleefully. "And now, if you would excuse me, I gotta go get something in the bunks." He then stood up and left the cabin and went next door to the bunks, where Cat was lying on one of the beds.

"Oh Divine Ones, help me," she moaned in a deadbeat tone.

Zack laughed. "Feeling sick, Cat?"

She rolled over to face him. "That's the understatement of the…just shut up," she groaned.

Zack dug around in his pocket and produced a pill. "Here, take this," he said, grudgingly handing her the pill. "It's my last one."

"What, are you trying to poison me?" Cat demanded. "I won't fall for it, Apocalypse-man. Now leave me to die in peace."

"It's not poison, it's medicine!" Zack flared. "And you won't feel any better lying here like this, you gotta walk around and defeat the nausea!"

"You are trying to kill me," Cat said. "Let me sleep."

"Cat…TAKE THE FRICKIN' MEDICINE!" Zack shouted, thrusting it at her. She stuck out her tongue. Finally Zack put his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Fine, but it's for your own good. If you don't want it, then fine." He started walking off, but then Cat reached out.

"Not so fast." She snatched the pill from him and popped it into her mouth. She lay there for a second, and then slowly sat up. "Hey, it's working!" she said, looking surprised.

Zack rolled his eyes. "See ya later."

"See ya later, Zacky-poo!" Cat shouted, and sprang up off the bed. She didn't notice Zack laughing his head off behind her. She bounded out of the room, and went into the largest cabin in the ship where Prince Luke was residing.

"Hey, Lukey Pooky!" she shouted. Prince Luke looked up from his game of cards with Adrian. "Oh, hi Adriana," Cat said, waving at Adrian, whose face grew red. She turned back to the prince. "Whatcha doin', Lukey Pooky?"

"Cat, are you high on something?" Adrian asked bluntly.

"Only you!" Cat exclaimed, and fell into Prince Luke's lap, knocking over the stack of cards.

Prince Luke suppressed a smile, and helped Cat up. "Are you all right, Miss Wingheart?" he asked.

Cat giggled. "Lukey Pooky!" she shouted in the Prince's face, and skipped around the room chanting.

Adrian exchanged an amused glance with the Prince. Then he turned to Cat. "Did someone give you something…to sniff?"

"Nope!" Cat declared. "All Zack gave me was a pill to cure my malaria!"

"Malaria?" Adrian asked, confused. "I don't think Zack gave you a malaria pill, I think he gave you something else," he concluded.

"Think whatcha want, Adriana," Cat shouted, and then she fell into Prince Luke's arms once more. Her dark eyes widened as she let her head roll back, her purple hair nearly brushing the ground.

"I don't feel so good…I'm hungry," she said. She reached up and pulled his head down to hers and kissed him full on the mouth.

Adrian widened his eyes in shock, frozen as Cat's head abruptly dropped back, her eyes closed. Prince Luke smiled. "Don't tell Giselle," he told Adrian. He then picked Cat up as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. Cat was dead asleep, snoring loudly. Prince Luke took her back to the bunks, where Zack was still doubled over in hysterics.

"What did you give her?" Adrian asked Zack sternly. Zack quickly straightened up.

"Only a little pick-me-up," he said innocently. "She was feeling down in the dumps." Adrian burst out laughing. Prince Luke slowly set Cat down on the bed.

"Well, we know what Cat will be like once she's drunk," he said, smiling. He gazed down at her. "She's one of 'em sleeping angels, but tough to handle when awake." He winked at Adrian. "You'll have quite a time with her, Adriana."

"W-what are you talking about?" Adrian stammered, as Zack burst out laughing again. He scowled and left Prince Luke and Zack laughing together in the room and walked towards the deck, where he saw Zeth approaching Zaria. He stood there where they couldn't see him and watched.

"Zaria, I'm sorry!" Zeth exclaimed.

She whirled on him. "I'm not mad," she said coldly, and turned away again. "Zaria, really, I was thinking about something," Zeth protested.

"Thinking about what?" she demanded.

"There's something about the continent of Hyrynd…you remember Hyrynd, don't you?" Zeth asked, holding on to her. She didn't pull away.

"Yes, I remember Hyrynd," she said quietly.

"It's not Hyrynd anymore," Zeth said.

Zaria's eyes widened. "Hyrynd isn't Hyrynd? What do you mean?"

"I mean that the King of Hyrynd has changed the continent's name to Torus," Zeth explained. "There has to be a reason why…nobody seems to know."

Zaria's eyes narrowed. "Torus…Zeth, do you know about Torus?"

Zeth looked perplexed. "What about it?"

"Torus is the name of one of the ancient Being capitals!" Zaria exclaimed. "I think there's something going on in Hyrynd…"

"Torus," Zeth corrected thoughtlessly.

Zaria put her hands on her hips. "Whatever," she said, and turned away.

"Wait!" Zeth said, stepping towards her.

She turned back to him. "And don't worry, I forgive you," she said, a small grin on her face. "Well?"

Zeth smiled and reached over to her and grasped her hand in his. "So what do you have in mind, Mrs. Zeth?" he asked.

She laughed. "Whatever you wanna do, Mr. Zaria," she replied, her eyes eminent.

Adrian smiled to himself and walked up to them. "Hey, guys," he greeted. "I think we're pretty near Dias Point already." He pointed out into the distance.

"Oh, wow!" Zaria exclaimed, and let go of Zeth's hand and ran up by Fuuko, pointing out the tall towers of Dias Point.

The ship approached Dias Point at full speed, and they reached it about an hour later.

"Come this way," Prince Luke said, as they all got off the ship, Cat still a little lightheaded from the innocuous drug Zack had given her. They all followed Prince Luke through the busy streets of Dias Point.

"Don't you have an escort, Prince Luke?" Fuuko asked.

Prince Luke smiled. "You all are my escorts…and I couldn't have any better warriors at my side."

The people they passed looked at Prince Luke in amazement and awe, and gazed at Zeth, Zaria, Fuuko, Zack, Breanna, Zitan, Adrian and Cat curiously, wondering whom these strangers were, looking like warriors yet escorting the Prince through the streets of Dias Point.

"She must be elven! How wonderfully cute and petite she is!" the townspeople whispered about Cat.

"He looks like the war hero Jean-Claude Strife, but with dark hair!" the townspeople exclaimed about Zack.

"She looks so elegant and poised, yet tough in her own way," the townspeople agreed about Fuuko.

"She has big blue eyes!" a little boy chimed in.

"Oh, look at her. That one is quite enchanting, yet so mysterious," the townspeople gossiped about Breanna.

"He is so handsome it's unbelievable!" the town maidens of Dias Point whispered about Adrian.

"He looks like that girl who is standing next to him. Might they be brother and sister?" the townspeople wondered about Zitan.

"That girl …she looks very familiar…the stern yet sweet face …might that be Zaria Locke?" the townspeople whispered about Zaria.

"That guy with the honey-colored hair…he is the finest looking of them all! Not because of his looks...but because of his flawless features and his confident demeanor! I wonder what his name is…" the town maidens of Dias Point giggled about Zeth.

Prince Luke led them through town to the residence of one of the generals who didn't work for Toki, General Cutter. General Cutter lived in the biggest house in the entire city; a large mansion called the Presidential Residence.

As soon as the guard saw Prince Luke he bowed deeply and automatically said, "Good day, Prince Thomas Luke. Please come in and sit down while I go summon the General for you."

The guard then rushed off inside the mansion, leaving the door open for them to enter. They all walked into the mansion, amazed at the splendor of the General's home.

"This place is almost as fancy as the Twin Castle in Heide Tiseau!" Cat exclaimed in awe.

Prince Luke smiled. "General Cutter is an old friend of the family," he informed them.

They all sat down and waited for the General. A few minutes later a man with military poise entered the room. As soon as he spied the Prince, he walked briskly over and swept him up in a big bear hug.

"Luke, I haven't seen you in awhile! You're doing fine, I see," the General observed. Then he turned to the rest of them. "I don't believe I've met any of you young folk. How do you do, I'm General Cutter." He extended his hand.

They all shook his hand in turn, each of them introducing themselves. As Zack did so, the General looked at him queerly.

"Um, I'm Zack Strife," Zack said dubiously, gazing at the General.

The General's eyes lit up with recognition. "Zack! Are you by any chance the son of Jean-Claude Strife?"

Zack shook his head. "No, sir. Jean-Claude Strife was my grandfather."

"Your grandfather! I knew that old weasel quite well!" General Cutter burst. "My, you're a spitting image of Jean-Claude, but with much darker hair." He paused. "Did you say 'was' your grandfather?"

Zack nodded. The General looked sad and disappointed. "Ah, well, we all have to go someday, even the brave Jean-Claude, one of the saviors of the world." he said sadly. He looked up at Zack. "Do you know how great a hero Jean-Claude was?"

"Well, somewhat. My father told me of some of the adventures that Granddad Jean and Grandma Alexandria had been through. It is pretty amazing. Grandma Alexandria passed away before I was born."

The General nodded. "Yes, and in quite drastic a way did she die. Poor Jean-Claude. They couldn't be away from each other long. Alexandria was a year older than Jean-Claude. She took care of him. They were such caring people, but they showed their affection in such subtle ways. I feel lucky to have known them."

Zeth and Zaria smiled at each other. They had both known Zack's grandparents as well. At the time Jean-Claude had been twenty-one and Alexandria had been twenty-two.

"What are you two smiling at?" Zitan asked. His eyes widened. "Or did you happen to know Jean-Claude…"

Zaria laughed and nodded. Zack's head snapped towards them. "You knew my grandparents?" he asked incredulously.

The General looked confused. "How is that possible, unless you all grew up together…or did you?"

Prince Luke laughed and explained the whole story to the General, who listened intently. As soon as he finished, the General turned towards Zeth and Zaria. "I heard a lot about you two!" he exclaimed. "You both are heroes of the Mage war, and still you come again into the future, performing more heroic deeds!"

Zaria blushed. "That's not exactly it," she began.

"But it is!" the General protested, preventing her from explaining. "Zeth Lanier and Zaria Locke, I remember you two now!" He turned to Zeth. "Didn't you have a twin named Dink or something? That got youthened and sent to Torus after the war was over?"

Zeth nodded. "Yes, _Link_ was my twin brother," he confirmed.

The General looked awed. "Well, well," he said. "Luke, you certainly have an interesting group of people traveling with you," he told the prince, who laughed blithely.

"Yes, but they are all brave warriors who have helped me greatly," Prince Luke replied. "General Cutter, I wonder if we might prevail on you for a favor. Could we all stay here for a night? Then we will all board the Neptune's Daughter in order to go to Denzeling."

"With old Tax, eh?" the General chuckled. "Yes, yes, of course. You all must stay here at the Presidential Residence for the time that you are here! In the meantime, you can tour Dias Point. It's a very large city, you know. In fact, it is one of the largest in Northern Nova."

"Thank you, sir," Prince Luke said.

The General smiled and nodded. "Anything for a nice boy like you, Luke." He then turned his head and waved over a servant.

"Please take these young people to their rooms," he instructed. The servant nodded and turned towards Zeth, her head bowed.

"May I take your luggage, sir?"

"Uh, you don't have to, it's quite all right," Zeth said politely.

"Yes sir, very good sir," the servant replied and began to make her way up the stairs.

"She will lead you to your quarters," the General informed Zeth. He turned to the Prince. "Luke, you may stay in your usual room."

They thanked the General and made their way up the marble stairway that went up in a spiral formation. They climbed up to the third floor where the servant showed them into an extremely large suite that had enough space for ten people to stay in comfortably.

"Thank you," Zeth told her as he walked in. Prince Luke followed them all inside and put his belongings down on a bed.

"Um, your highness, aren't you going to stay in your usual room?" the servant asked anxiously.

Prince Luke smiled and shook his head. "Nope, I'll just stay here with my friends," he replied. "You can go now."

"Very good, your highness," she answered, looking slightly bewildered. She curtsied and then exited the room.

"Hey Lukey Pooky, are you really staying here with all of us?" Cat asked, bouncing on one of the beds. Prince Luke laughed and nodded again.

"Of course."

"Hmm, just imagine, royalty like you sleeping the same room as us commoners," Breanna remarked caustically. There was an awkward silence. She opened her mouth to say more when Zitan cut her off.

"Bree," he admonished. She then closed her mouth and shut up.

"Well, let's get settled," Zaria said, changing the subject. "Put your stuff down on whichever bed you all want."

Fifteen minutes later when the sleeping arrangements were finished, the grouped trooped down the stairs and sailed out the door, ready to explore one of the biggest cities in the continent.

"Whoo-hoo! I've always wanted to come and see Dias Point!" Cat exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

Fuuko smiled. "Yeah, I've always wanted to come here too!" she chimed in.

"Okay, everyone just go where they wanna go," Zeth said pointedly, knowing that them all traveling as a group would overwhelm the citizens.

"I'm going with Fukiko and Adrian!" Cat cried, grabbing on to Fuuko's arm.

"Me too!" Zack said, and started towards the three but then Breanna pulled him back. "You're not leaving me alone with Zitan and the Prince," she said.

"But you have Zaria and-oh, okay, I'll go with you," he agreed quickly. They all walked off in different directions, leaving Zeth and Zaria standing there in front of the Presidential Residence.

Zeth smacked his hand on his forehead. "It's so obvious that they're trying to set us up that even I can see it," he said. Zaria fingered the moonstone around her neck, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Well, we definitely don't want them to get the wrong idea about us!" she remarked gleefully.

_If you don't want them to get the wrong idea about us, why do you look so delighted?_ Zeth thought, amused.

He tilted his head. "Is it a wrong idea?" he said, grinning. She ignored his comment and grabbed his arm, dragging him off in the direction of the market.

"Let's go there!" she exclaimed. Zeth internally sighed. It was going to be a long day.

"Zaria, how much longer are you going to be doing this?" Zeth asked in a tone that was verging on whining.

"Don't be so impatient!" she chastised. "We've only been walking around for three hours! We have a whole day to do stuff!"

Zeth rolled his eyes. "Zariaaa, that's my point! We've been circling around the marketplace for three hours and you haven't bought a thing!"

She grinned sheepishly. "Hee hee hee. I need more time to make up my mind." Zeth looked up and counted to ten, but as he was gazing up at the sky, he saw a smudge of black in the distance, as if a black cloud were descending onto the horizon.

"What the hell is that?" He grabbed Zaria's arm and pointed up to the sky. She looked at it and squinted. A look of recognition entered her eyes.

"Oh no," she muttered, shaking her head. "It can't be. No! I thought they were just being cautious. I didn't think…oh!" She fell back into Zeth's arms, limp. "No…no…they won't take you away from me. No!" Her head then rolled back, her eyes closed.

"Zaria!" Zeth cried, alarmed. He shook her firmly. "Zaria!"

She slowly opened her eyes and turned to him and held him tightly. "No!" she repeated. All of a sudden a gust of violent wind blew through the marketplace. Goods flew everywhere, and everyone was running about in frenzy.

"Zeth, don't let go of me!" she whispered fiercely in his ear. "Don't let them take you! You have to hold on!"

"Who? Who's going to take me?" he asked.

She shook her head and held him tighter. "Hold on!" she cried. "They're coming for you!"

"Zaria, we're standing in the middle of an open area!" Zeth shouted over the noise. The dark cloud was descending lower and lower, almost reaching them, but she still wouldn't release him from her grasp.

He scooped her up and carried her into a sheltered area.

"Don't let go of me, Zeth!" she gasped, grasping him tightly. "If you're with me, they can't take you. I won't let them!"

"Who?" Zeth cried.

Zaria shook her head. "Hold on," she whispered.

The dark cloud reached them and enveloped everything in darkness. The wind grew stronger and stronger, trying to wrench them apart.

"Noooo! I won't let you take him!" she cried hysterically, holding on to him so tightly that it was physically painful for him. The wind continued to howl fiercely, whipping at their hair and clothing. All of a sudden the wind stopped, and they were on their knees in the middle of the cloud. Their surroundings were pitch black.

Zaria cried out in pain as a sharp stick whirred straight into her back, embedding itself underneath her skin. She went limp in Zeth's arms. Zeth held her tightly and felt her sticky blood running down his fingers. His eyes widened in horror and he ran his hand up her back until he felt the arrow.

"Pull it out!" Zaria rasped, breathing heavily as she slumped into Zeth's arms.

"No!" Zeth exclaimed. "If I pull it out, you might bleed to death. And you would be in tremendous pain!"

Zaria shook her head weakly. "P-pull…it out…" she gasped. "It…has...magic…Destruction magic…in it…it will kill me…please…take it out! They want to kill me so they can get to you easily!" she cried out with her last ounce of strength.

Zeth reluctantly placed his right hand on the arrow. "All right," he said quietly, keeping his left hand placed on the small of her back. "Bite my shoulder so you don't bite your own tongue. This will hurt more than anything you've ever felt before, Zaria."

Zaria set her jaw on Zeth's shoulder, bracing herself. Zeth took out his small pocketknife and sunk the tip of it into the wound. Zaria's body immediately tensed and she bit down, hard. Zeth grimaced from the pain on his shoulder and also from the pain he knew Zaria was experiencing. Zeth sank the small knife down deeper and Zaria bit down even harder, this time going down so deep that Zeth's shoulder began to bleed. Zeth took a deep breath and carefully tilted the knife under her flesh so that it was underneath the Destruction arrow. Zaria cried out in pain, a shrill cry so agonizing that it chilled Zeth to the bone. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he attempted to gently pry the arrow out. Zaria wails grew louder, and she buried her face into Zeth's bloody shoulder, shaking. Finally, Zeth dropped the knife and placed his hand on the arrow and pulled it out in one small, lithe movement. Blood was pouring from the wound on Zaria's back.

Zeth put his hand on her wound, trying to hold back the flow of blood. "Zaria, now you have to help yourself. Use your healing magic to heal it."

Zaria was frozen, the tears sliding down her cheeks. "It hurts too much…I can't…" she whispered.

"You have to!" Zeth cried forcefully. "If you don't, then you could bleed to death! Remember that I promised that I would never let you die. Zaria, please! Try!"

Zaria closed her eyes. She would try, although the loss of blood was getting to her head. "Healing wind," she muttered with clenched teeth, and then a moment later, a gust of wind blew through the dark cloud and passed Zeth and Zaria. Zeth could feel himself being revitalized as the wind blew on him. Zaria felt weak as all the magic that was in her body was sucked towards the wound. She slowly closed her eyes. _I'm too weak to fight_, she thought. But she had to. She shakily attempted to stand up, but then fell back down. "W-weak," she whispered. Zeth supported her as she struggled to stay standing.

"Use the healing magic again," Zeth said soothingly, although inside he was trembling with fear.

Zaria nodded and used her last ounce of energy to summon the liquid magic into her body. It coursed throughout her veins, barely closing up the wound.

All of a sudden, a loud crash was heard. Zaria stopped her healing process and glanced around inconspicuously. She backed up so she was standing in front of Zeth. "Someone's coming," she said darkly.

"Ultima X-ray," Zeth muttered, and the whole area was in X-ray vision. "I don't see anything at all," Zeth said, surprised. "It's as if-"

"We were taken somewhere out of this world," Zaria finished.

"Or it's some kind of illusion," Zeth said pensively.

All of a sudden, a figure coalesced out of the cloud substance before them. Zaria stood in front of Zeth protectively. "You won't take him!" she shouted, feeling a sudden burst of energy. "Not while I'm standing here! Never!"

She leaped forward, brandishing her twin swords. She slashed at the figure but then it seemed to be to no avail, for it dodged Zaria's strikes expertly.

Zaria landed off to the side, and her wound was opened again. Blood spurted out, and she fell to the ground, moaning. Zeth rushed over to her but was thrown back as soon as he was within a two-foot radius of her. He landed hard about ten feet away. He looked up, angry and in pain.

"What the hell did you do to her?" he shouted at the dark figure.

"Nothing," the figure replied smugly. "It's her own Moon magic operating, for you are the enemy, and you can not help her."

"The enemy?" Zeth shouted. "How the hell am I the enemy?"

The figure laughed. "Because. You are not normal. You are one of the…"

"One of the what?" Zeth demanded.

"I can't tell you yet," the figure replied.

"Show yourself!" Zeth ordered. The figure laughed and formed into a sinister looking man with wings made of light. The man turned around, showing off his light-wings.

"Remember anything?" he asked mysteriously.

"Remember what?" Zeth asked. The man laughed harshly again. "All you need to know is that you can not help that forsaken creature…you and she are not meant to be so stay well away from her. She is one of the enemies. Remember that. If you have the chance to slay her, do so and you will be redeemed."

"How dare you speak of such things!" Zeth flared. "I'm here to protect Zaria, and you nor no other creature can stop me!"

The winged man laughed again. "Maybe, but your origin will prevent you. The Moon Maiden Artemis is your ultimate enemy, remember that."

"What?" Zeth asked confused.

"You are but a puppet, being used to get through to the Moon Maiden Artemis," the man chanted.

"I am not a puppet!" Zeth shouted. "I am Zeth Lanier, the Ultima warrior, and I will destroy you and protect Zaria with my life." He leaped up angrily and whipped out his sword.

"Ow!" the man yelped mockingly. "I was only to be a messenger, but I see now that I will have to fight! Ultima Pulsar Wave!"

A semi-strong wave of Ultima magic hit Zeth. "Ha ha!" Zeth said jubilantly. "You can't hurt me with your magic, for I can absorb Ultima!"

"As can I," the man replied complacently. "All right, we'll resort to normal weapons." He unsheathed out a titanic sword, much bigger than Zeth's. "Kind of one-sided, isn't it," he said cruelly. He aimed the sword towards Zeth, but Zeth was too quick for him. He leaped out of range and sprang on the winged man from behind. The man whirled around and blocked Zeth's blow with his sword.

"Ha!" he shouted, his eyes flashing.

"Don't be fooled by illusion," Zeth muttered. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and I'll have you know that I have the advantage with my sword." Zeth kicked him from underneath, and the man fell to his knees. Zeth prepared to deliver his deathblow when the man flew up out of his range.

"You'll never beat me, even if you were once a leader of the Beings!" the man howled. "I am Masamune, one of the greatest swordsmen out of all the Beings!"

"Beings?" Zeth exclaimed incredulously, lowering his sword. "What's that about Beings? Are you a Being?"

"What else could I be?" Masamune asked devilishly. He aimed his sword towards Zaria. "I can't seem to get through your defense, but most likely I can get through the Moon Maiden Artemis's automated defense.

"No!" Zeth shouted, and leaped towards Zaria, dropping his sword. But it was to no avail, for when he hit her barrier he was thrown back roughly.

Masamune laughed. "You can not protect the Moon Maiden Artemis!" he said gleefully. He flew straight down towards Zaria. "Ultima Float!" he shouted, and Zaria's body was levitated. "The Ultima magic can't penetrate the barrier, but it can carry the whole package!" Masamune clarified, laughing cruelly.

Zeth looked up in animosity and made ready to draw his sword, when he realized his sword wasn't with him. He looked around frantically, and spied it about six meters away from him.

"Don't move!" Masamune shouted. "Or else the Moon Maiden Artemis dies! I can simply release the Ultima hold on her, and she will plummet to the ground. I'm sure that she could not survive such a fall in her weakened condition. The moonbeam barrier will not protect her from foolishness."

Zeth was frozen. What was he to do? Masamune laughed again. "So you're stuck in a rut, General. How do you feel now?"

_General?_

Masamune flew down and slashed at Zeth with his sword, leaving a big gash across Zeth's chest. Zeth fell backwards, clutching his chest. Blood was spurting out and soaking his clothing.

"Looks like I win!" Masamune cried victoriously. "I'll be going now, but where's my victory prize? Maybe I'll just take the Moon Maiden."

"You're not taking anything!" Zeth shouted, his teeth clenched. Another surge of pain hit him and he flinched and fell back.

"I'd like to see you enforce your statement," Masamune replied smugly. "See ya, ZETH!"

"He said, YOU'RE NOT TAKING ANYTHING!" came Cat's voice from behind Zeth. She flew towards Masamune with her whip, Adrian following closely behind. She whipped Masamune, hard, and Adrian followed with some of his fire-based arrows. Masamune fell to the ground, but Zaria also plummeted down.

"Noooo!" Zeth cried, but then Zack charged forward and caught Zaria just in time. They both rolled over to the side, Zack holding on tightly to Zaria.

"Oh #$," he exclaimed, looking at his crimson fingers. "She's losing too much blood!" Breanna ran to his assistance, producing bandages, which Zack quickly wrapped around Zaria's body. The blood began soaking through the bandages. "Take her," Zack instructed Breanna, and she nodded. She picked up Zaria and hauled her over to a safer area, far from the battle. Zack turned to Zeth. "You're bleeding real bad, man!" he shouted.

Zeth shook his head. "It's all right!" he shouted back, clutching his wound. "I just need my sword." Zack nodded and tossed over Zeth's sword. He then ran over and wrapped Zeth's chest with the remaining bandages. Meanwhile, Cat and Adrian were still battling Masamune, who had been able to stand up and continue flitting around in the air with his light wings.

"That guy is good! How could you hold him off yourself?" Zack asked, awed. He hoisted Zeth up on his back and carried him over to where Zaria was.

Cat summoned the Aztec Thunder God, Quezacotl, and Masamune's wings disappeared and he fell to the ground. He stood up again and charged towards Cat. Adrian shot another arrow from behind, producing a ring of flame around Masamune, but Masamune simply howled and jumped out of it, charging onto Cat. She tried to dodge, but Masamune pinned her down and directed his sword towards her head, but then she snapped her head to the side at the last moment. As he struggled to pull his sword out of the ground she swiftly kneed him in the stomach and rolled away before he could fall on top of her. Fuuko pounced on him, slashing his back with her claw. Masamune weakly stood up again, his wings dimly flashing.

Breanna left Zitan and Zack to tend to Zaria and Zeth and jumped forward, punching Masamune in the face. She then stuck her boot under his limp body and kicked him away. "Quake!" she shouted, and the ground rumbled. Masamune was thrown up and down, and when the earthquake ended, he was still.

"Whoo-hoo, we won!" Cat exclaimed, jumping up and down for joy. Everyone cheered and walked over to Zeth and Zaria. Zack turned around and saw Masamune slowly getting up, the rage visible in his eyes. He charged towards Cat.

"You took away my victory!" he howled, but then was intercepted by Zack's spear right in front of his face.

"Move an inch closer and I poke one of your eyes out," Zack warned. Masamune scowled and retreated, reforming his wings. He flew up.

"This is not the end! Your real enemy is the one you call Zeth!" he shouted, and flew higher and higher until he disappeared. The dark cloud disappeared with him, and they were left standing in the abandoned streets of Dias Point. Prince Luke came running over.

"What happened?" he asked. "I was so worried when I couldn't find any of you!"

"We need a doctor, now!" Fuuko exclaimed, examining Zeth and Zaria. "Neither of them has stopped bleeding, and there's a chance that these injuries may be fatal!"

Prince Luke nodded, his face stricken. "Follow me. I'll take you all to the nearest hospital. It's just down the street."

Zack and Zitan picked up Zeth and Adrian scooped up Zaria, morphing into his vampire form in which he was stronger. He flew after the Prince while the others ran through the empty streets.

"Where is everyone?" Breanna asked Fuuko as she ran.

"They all evacuated the streets and scurried into their homes as soon as the black fog settled over the city," Fuuko replied. "And it's a good thing that they did."

They all ran to the hospital as quickly as possible, and as soon as they reached the hospital lobby Prince Luke burst through the throng of people and shouted, "We have two people who need medical attention immediately!"

Everyone who had taken shelter in the hospital glanced over in his direction, their eyes widened in amazement.

Zack, Zitan, and Adrian burst in after Prince Luke. The people stared at them, wondering who they were to have the Prince of Northern Nova be escorting them.

The hospital staff rushed over and had them set Zeth and Zaria on gurneys and wheeled them into the emergency room.

Breanna, Fuuko and Cat ran into the hospital, panting. "Are Zeth and Zaria getting treated yet?" Fuuko asked.

Zack nodded. "They just went into the emergency room."

A few hours later, one of the nurses came out to see them. "Your friends are still being treated," she told them. "The young man is recovering fine, his wound was deep but the doctor is taking care of it, and most likely he will recover because one of you was smart enough to use first aid procedures to stop the bleeding almost immediately. As for the girl, she was not as lucky. She lost too much blood, as well as sustaining severe internal damage, and the bleeding stopped only about an hour ago, after the operation. She's currently in critical condition, and whether she lives or dies is entirely up to her."

"Zaria," Fuuko whispered, putting her hand to her mouth in consternation. "Can we go see her?"

The nurse slowly nodded. "Yes, but only one at a time, and only for five minutes. She's in the intensive care unit right now. As for your other friend, you can all go visit him in his room. His room is on the third floor, second door to the left."

"All right," Zack said, standing up. "I'll go stay with Zeth while you all go see Zaria, and when you're all finished, come see me so I can see her too."

Everyone agreed and they went up to the ICU to see Zaria. Zack got off the elevator on the third floor, looking sadly back at his friends. The elevator doors slid shut and Zack walked to Zeth's room at the end of the hallway.

Zeth was sleeping peacefully with a large bandage wrapped around his chest. Zack sat down next to the bed, gazing at his friend, his eyes full of sorrow. How horrified Zeth would be when he woke up. In fact, a relapse might occur, and Zeth might go into a coma from the shock of having a loved one being in such critical condition.

"I'm so sorry, man," he whispered. "If only we had gotten there to help you both sooner…"

They walked soberly into the intensive care unit, heads bowed down in sorrow. As soon as they reached the intensive care unit Adrian turned around to face them all.

"We can only visit her one at a time, for five minutes each," he said, repeating the words of the nurse. "We have to try to bring Zaria back...we need to call her back to us. Who's going in first?"

"I-I will," Cat said shakily. Adrian nodded and stepped aside to clear the way. Cat took a long, deep breath and slowly stepped into Zaria's room, lifting up her eyes. As soon as she saw her friend lying there so peacefully and still the tears that had been threatening to spill for so many hours finally fell out of her eyes, clouding her vision.

"Zaria," she sobbed, casting her eyes away. She couldn't bear to see her friend in such a different state than what she was in while alive and well. Although she had been unconscious for a long period of time before, this was the first time where a doctor had actually declared that she might never come back, and it had nothing to do with the mysterious forces of magic. After a minute or so of crying, she calmly wiped the last of her tears away and stood next to Zaria's bed, watching Zaria sleep. "Come back, Zaria. Try, okay? You have to try to come back to us. Zeth needs you. I need you. We all need you. Please…" she begged her friend. Zaria remained still and unresponsive. Cat sighed.

She gently laid her hand on Zaria's cheek and let it linger there for a moment. She quickly pulled her hand away, as if all of a sudden Zaria's skin had become on fire. Then she turned on her heel and left the room, sobbing even harder than before. She ran into Fuuko's arms, her whole body shaking violently from her sobs.

Zack looked up as his friends entered Zeth's hospital room. He nodded and then got up to go see Zaria. Breanna sat down on the seat Zack had been sitting on and took Zeth's hand in hers.

"I'm sorry," she told the sleeping Zeth. Everyone was then quiet for a long time, until suddenly Zeth stirred slightly. Everyone held their breaths, and after a minute of anticipation, he finally woke.

"Where am I?" he asked, looking around. "What happened?"

"You were unconscious right after the fight with Masamune," Adrian told him. "We brought both you and Zaria here, where the doctor tended to your wounds. You are recovering fine, but Zaria is…"

"What happened to Zaria?" Zeth said, sitting up. Arrows of pain shot through his chest and he groaned and sat back down. He looked back at Adrian. "She's all right, right?" Adrian looked away.

"She's all right, right?" Zeth repeated more forcefully.

"She's not all right," Fuuko snapped. Her expression immediately displayed her regret. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Zeth, she lost too much blood," she said in a softer tone, looking away. "The healing elixir just isn't working."

"WHAT?" Zeth exclaimed. "NO! Zaria can't be gone! NO!"

"She's not gone!" Fuuko interrupted, snapping her head back towards him. "Zeth, don't stress yourself. It's bad for you. You still have a major injury that needs some more time to completely heal. It's all up to Zaria, and only Zaria can now determine whether she comes back or not!" Zeth crossed him arms and looked away, his eyes and his heart stinging.

"Don't be such an immature child!" Fuuko burst. "Trust Zaria! You love her; we all know that you do! What you have to do now is believe in her so that she tries harder to come back!"

Zeth looked up at Fuuko with eyes so full of grief that she winced and looked away again.

"Take me to her, now," he said softly.

"But Zeth, we can't!" protested Fuuko. "The hospital staff-"

"If you don't want to help me, I'll do it myself," Zeth said shortly, throwing off the blanket. He stood up and then sat back down, groaning in pain.

"We'll take you to Zaria," Prince Luke said quickly. "I'll go arrange for them to move you to her room."


	10. Chapter 10 Forbidden Truth

Forbidden Truth 

_Where am I? _Zaria thought, looking around. She knew for sure that she wasn't in the real world. The last time she was like this she had been transported to the moon. She was floating around in nothingness. Everything was all black around her. What had happened? Zaria pressed her fingertips to her face. How did she get here?

Then she remembered. How the Destruction arrow had been shot into her back, how Zeth had pulled it out for her, how persistent the pain had been, how she bit his shoulder so hard that she drew blood. She remembered Masamune, how he had constructed the barrier around her. She remembered Zeth running towards her and getting brutally pushed away. Then she had lost consciousness, and here she was. Why had Zeth been thrown back? Was it some sort of force? It probably had to do with her Moon lineage, especially since Zeth was…

She didn't want to think about what she knew about Zeth and the Beings. He thought that it was his duty to protect her, but in fact, they were supposed to be eternal adversaries. If the Beings ever regained possession of him…they would become enemies again. So now, it was her duty to protect him. She didn't know about past lives…but from the legends and what the stars had told her, and especially since the Beings had sent Masamune to nullify her and take Zeth, she could piece it together.

The Beings looked like normal humans, except that they had wings made of light. They were in fact, humans, evolved to a higher level species. Masamune was unmistakably a Being. But how come the Beings had just started taking action? Why hadn't they acted beforehand? Zaria sighed inwardly. There was so much she had yet to understand…but she was going to find out. Surely Bink would know something about the subject.

All this knowledge that she had recently acquired about her past life frightened her. There were so many people that she had known then. It was during the Interplanetary War. Many, many years ago, she had lived on the moon with Princess Louvia and Prince Claude as the Moon Maiden Artemis. She had been reincarnated as the Moon Maiden Artemis as well. Anyhow, back then she was also a descendant of the Locke family, but her name had not been Zaria. Her name had been Rynn. Rynn Locke. She lived a propitious existence on the moon until the commencement of the Interplanetary War, when many prayers were directed towards Artemis to save the people whom were being attacked by the Beings. Princess Louvia had sent Rynn down to the Earth at Rynn's requisition, where Rynn was given the title Moon Maiden Artemis, the female deity of War.

She fought and charted out tactics alongside the leaders, and it was thanks to her and her celestial powers that the Humans won many a battle. One day, Rynn led her regiment and met one of the Being General's armed forces. To her stupefaction, the General was handsome and had an air of nobility, fascinating her with his charismatic charm. Some prominent features about him were that he had the silkiest and satiny tresses an individual could have and a long battle scar on the side of his face. His name was General Tide. It was the first time that Rynn had ever felt any signs of fondness in her entire perpetual life. However, she led her regiment bravely and battled General Tide. She fought her way up to him and rammed her sword into his side but he obstructed it deftly. It was an attenuated combat between them, and finally General Tide had defeated Rynn. She was no longer immortal ever since she had set foot on the planet, so he readily could have killed her. Yet he didn't. Although she put up much resistance, he managed to pick her up and carry her to the Being camp and then had her wounds treated. When he came to see her she was upset with him, but he spoke kind words to her and dazzled her, fortifying her. After she was thoroughly healed, he released her in secret, asking her one favor; that she would come to see him again. Rynn accepted, and from then on she would covertly come meet General Tide. It was a secret liaison between the supposed foes.

Somehow, Miefe found out about Tide and Rynn, and plotted a devious setup for their deaths, telling no one. For he had found a way to restrict Rynn's ethereal powers.

Although Rynn and Tide vanished for a short while, they were found and taken into the midst of a battlefield of one of the most decisive battles in Human-Being history. This was where Miefe planned to exterminate them in front of the entire Human and Being fleet, so he could prove his omnipotence. He seized Tide and Rynn and decreed them to be burned at stake for the crime of betraying their kind.

"You might be one of the finest warriors and magic-users ever," he told Tide. "But we can wait to exploit you in your subsequent life." He had then laughed cruelly and had taken indulgence in ordering his soldiers to beat Tide, who didn't utter a single word of protest. After that, Tide and Rynn were then tied to a stake in the middle of the battlefield, and all watched in trepidation as the Being Private set fire to the hay around their feet, yet no one dared to try to rescue them. Three Being soldiers were restraining Tide's childhood friend Dolph.

"Tide!" he shouted. "Let him go, Miefe! I demand that you let him go!" But it was to no avail. Miefe ignored his cries, even though Dolph was one of his best elite soldiers.

"TIDE!" Dolph howled. "You can't kill him! He's-"

"Somebody shut him up and I'll promote them!" Miefe finally barked, and Dolph was knocked unconscious by one of the lesser Being soldiers.

Tide's entire body was clenched and taut. "If only you had known, Dolph…" he muttered.

"Tide, we both knew that these would be the final hours we had alive," Rynn murmured regretfully, turning her dark eyes towards him.

Tide looked grim. "Don't lose hope yet, Rynn. I'll find a way to get us out of here and to where we really belong, a place where we can live in peace," he began, turning towards Rynn. His gaze softened when he saw her face. "Rynn…"

"We can't!" Rynn burst, shaking her head. Tide turned away to gaze back at Dolph, who had been taken away. "Even if we do get untied in time, they would capture us and kill us then, probably in an even more appalling way than to be burned in this fire of hell! They have the key to defeating us! It's my doom that is the cause of your untimely death! Oh, Tide, can't you feel the flames licking at your feet, just waiting to consume us? It's burning ever so strongly…just like the feeling I have for you," she said fervently.

Tide twisted his head to look at Rynn, his handsome face scorched. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Rynn," he said woefully, a drop of liquid sliding down his cheek. Rynn couldn't tell whether it was a tear of sorrow or a bead of sweat. "But if we can't find each other in heaven, we'll meet again in our next life, in the place where we promised. I will find you! All you have to do is be there in that place where we promised and I will come and get you. I promise…no matter what."

"Tide…I will be there!" Rynn cried, clinging on to her last hope of seeing him again. "I will be there, waiting! At the place we promised! I will be waiting for you, so if you go there, you'll find me!"

He gazed longingly in her direction, his eyes cloudy. "If only I could see you one last time…"

The flames rose higher and higher, the fumes choking her and blocking Tide completely. Her lower body was now burning in agony. "Tide!" she gasped desperately. "NO! TIDE!"

He could no longer hear her, for he was completely enveloped in flame, and she could no longer see anything herself. She couldn't feel anything anymore, only a cold sensation on her forehead. She wrenched her eyes open and could vaguely see a ray of moonlight coming out from her forehead, shooting out in front of her. A crescent moon appeared on her forehead and wind was blowing everywhere, extinguishing the flames. Rynn closed her eyes again, aware that Princess Louvia was sending her power through Rynn's body. The moonlight spread out throughout the entire battlefield, encompassing all that stood there, including all the Beings and all the Humans. Rynn felt her body being lifted in the air…the moonbeams forming into bubbles, which captured her body and Tide's body. The Beings cried out as they were being sent back to their homeland through moonbeams. Rynn could faintly see the Humans looking on in amazement as their enemy was vanquished and she could see Tide's scorched body in a large bubble a few meters away from her.

"Thank you, Princess Louvia," she whispered, as she closed her eyes and let herself be taken back. She would meet Tide again. When the princess decreed, she would be born again. But what was it that they said about two lovers who were reincarnated…that they would be reborn as twin brother and sister? The only twins Zaria knew of were Zeth and Link, so that probably hadn't occurred in this case.

Zaria sighed. She was the only one who could protect Tide-Zeth, for miraculously she had been born again as the Moon Maiden Artemis, the only one with the endowment to stop the Beings. If Zeth was taken, they could plant false memories in his mind and brainwash him, turning him into a deadly enemy. The story was a renowned legend, but nobody would ever think in a million years that Zaria and Zeth were Tide and Rynn, yet Zaria knew it was true because she could remember every detail so vividly. Also, the stars had confirmed it, and the stars never told falsehoods.

Zaria looked around. She still didn't know where she was, and she needed to quickly find her way back before the Being tried something else. She needed to tell everyone what she knew. She looked around. How was she going to get back to see her friends?

Zeth lay down in his bed gazing sideways at Zaria, waiting for any sign that she would awake. She had fallen into a coma, and had not come out for three days and three nights already. The doctor said that it was because of psychological trauma as well as heavy loss of blood.

The hospital had no blood of any sort left in stock that would be compatible with Zaria, and neither did any of them. Zeth was the only one who could possibly give her blood but the doctor adamantly refused to perform the transfusion, saying that Zeth needed all the blood he had in order to make a safe recovery.

_When will you wake up, Zaria?_ Zeth thought. And why had she thought that Masamune had come to take Zeth away? Everything was just so disconcerting and irresolute. _Please come back, Zaria_, Zeth silently pleaded.

There was a soft knock on the door and then Fuuko walked in, her sapphire eyes abnormally dull.

"Um, I stitched Zaria's clothing," Fuuko said, placing Zaria's folded garments next to the bed. "They were torn pretty crudely, so I managed to find some extra pieces of cloth that were the same color and material and sew in. It looks pretty much the same as before."

"I didn't know you could sew, Fuuko," Zeth said, surprised.

Fuuko smiled wryly. "Well, I can. Oh, and Zack wanted to demonstrate that he could sew too so he's stitching your clothing."

Zeth raised his eyebrows. "I won't be surprised if they come back torn even more," he quipped. Fuuko laughed gently and turned to Zaria, her expression turning solemn.

"So I guess she hasn't moved, huh."

Zeth shook his head sadly. "Not even an inch."

"I'm sorry," Fuuko said.

Zeth shrugged. "She'll come back. Zaria won't leave us. She can't. Not until I retrieve her at the place we promised…then we'll go together," he whispered quietly, so Fuuko could barely hear. Fuuko decided to ignore what he said, for it was probably some special, personal fantasy that kept his hopes alive.

Fuuko sighed and turned to leave the room. "Zack's coming in," she said at the door, and then left. Zack walked in briskly.

"Hey man, how are you doing?" he asked cheerfully, walking towards Zeth's bed.

"Not so good," replied Zeth tenebrously, turning his head to look at Zack.

Zack sat down next to him. "Well anyway, I tried to sew the hole in your clothing but I ended up screwing it up, so I asked Cat to do it."

"Thanks," said Zeth indifferently. He sighed and glanced over in Zaria's direction. "Zack…if she doesn't…make it, then I don't think I can keep fighting," he said softly.

Zack was stunned. "Whatcha talkin' bout, man?" he demanded. "Do you know what you just said? That's one of the most flimsy, self-defeating excuses I've ever heard!"

Zeth hung his head, ashamed.

"Zaria will pull through! And even if she doesn't, if she heard ya sayin' that crap from heaven she'd hate ya!" Zack shouted.

Cat burst into the room. "Zack, why are you yelling? What's wrong?"

Zack simply shook his head. He pointed at Zeth. "Think about Zaria and what she would want." He then left the room. Cat turned to Zeth.

"Zeth, are you all right? God, he was noisy."

"Cat," Zeth said, grabbing her arm. "I think we need to do something about Zaria."

Cat's gaze softened. "We're all trying our best, Zeth," she replied tenderly. "We-"

"No!" Zeth said, shaking his head. "I mean we have to bring Zaria back to us. She needs to feel us so she knows where to go! I can't bring her to the place we promised…not yet, anyway…so we have to do it this way. Please, Cat. Trust me on this."

Cat looked at Zeth with skepticism. "…All right."

She walked around the beds and sat down on the other side of Zaria. "Zaria, come back," she whispered, placing her hands on her arm.

Zeth closed his eyes and grasped both of Zaria's hands in his own, focusing all his energy towards her.

Zaria's eyelids slowly fluttered.

"Whoa, it worked!" Cat exclaimed, aghast. Zaria's eyes opened. She was gazing straight up with a blank stare.

"TIDE!" she screamed. Everyone burst into the room.

"#$, what happened?" Zack cried. Zaria burst into tears, reaching out in front of her, trying to grasp on to something. Zeth reached out his hand and took her floundering hand in his.

"T-T-T-Tide!" she shouted again, her whole body shaking violently. The doctor rushed into the room, two nurses by her side.

"Everyone except Zeth, get out now!" Dr. Reiko demanded. Everyone rushed out of the room. Dr. Reiko listened to Zaria's heartbeat with a stethoscope. "Oh no, her heart is racing," the doctor said. She turned to Zeth. "What happened?"

"I-I just held her hands and she opened her eyes and screamed," Zeth stammered.

"I've never seen anything like this before!" Dr. Reiko said, panicked. "This has to do with a deeply hidden, very complex psychological trauma that has suddenly resurfaced in her mind. Do you know anything about it?"

Zeth shook his head. "What are you going to do, Doctor?"

Dr. Reiko looked at Zeth. "Medically, there's nothing I can do now. Stay by her, Zeth. Hold her hand and give her the support she needs. Bring her back."

She sighed and departed the room. Zeth crawled over from his bed into Zaria's bed, ignoring the discomfort in his chest. He took a trembling Zaria into his arms.

Zaria shrieked abruptly in an anguished, shrill voice, and then started gasping, saying something. "Tide! P-promise me! At the place we pledged! I'll be waiting there, and if you come there, you'll find me!"

Zeth lay there and held Zaria devotedly to him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"It's not his fault, it's mine," she sobbed. "Don't take Zeth…it's not his fault." She continued to cry until she cried herself asleep. Zeth eventually fell asleep, holding Zaria in fear that a relapse would occur.

Several hours later, Zeth awoke in the dark of the night. He shifted his weight slightly and then suddenly Zaria's eyes popped open.

"Tide?" she implored. Then her eyes refocused, the emerald orbs incandescent in the dimness. "Zeth…"

"Zaria!" Zeth said. "Are you…back?" She blinked. "Zeth!" she cried, and hugged him. Then she slowly pulled away. "W-Where are we?"

"We're in the infirmary. You were in a coma for three days, Zaria." Zaria's eyes widened.

"But…but..." Her expression softened. "A lot happened, I see. I have a lot of new…interesting information to apprise you with, but I'll tell you tomorrow morning."

"All right," Zeth answered. He indolently sat up. "Um, I'll just go back to my bed now…"

"You don't have to, Zeth," Zaria said gently. "It's fine. I need someone right next to me at a time like this."

Zeth hesitantly lay back down next to Zaria. He felt her resting her head on his shoulder and a few minutes later his shoulder was sopping wet from her tears.

"I'm sorry," Zaria whispered. "I'm just so confused…and I've caused so much distress…everyone most likely hates me."

"They don't hate you at all, Zaria," Zeth said. "No one dislikes you or wishes anything wicked against you. All we all desired was for you to get better and come back to us."

Zaria took a deep breath and looked up at Zeth. "Thank you for being here," she said quietly, and drifted off to sleep. Zeth shut his eyes, still feeling discomfited with Zaria sound asleep next to him like this like they had in the tents during the Mage war, and awaited for sleep to come.

In the morning Zitan, Breanna and Prince Luke were the first to come look in on Zeth and Zaria. Zitan pushed the door open, prepared to wake them up, when he saw them fast asleep under the same covers. His face turned scarlet and he cautiously shut the door, turning back to Breanna and Prince Luke.

"Uh…ah…um...hee hee…umm… let's go in some other time, shall we?" he said, trying his best not to let his face get any redder. He strode quickly towards the nearby sofa and plopped down soundly.

"Why?" Breanna asked. "Uh, I'll tell you later," Zitan replied nervously.

Prince Luke opened the door a crack and peered in. "Whoa!" he said, and hastily shut the door. "Tee-hee, I think they…um…deserve the privacy."

Breanna gave him a withering look and shoved past him and opened the door. When she saw them she gasped and started tittering. Prince Luke hurriedly reached over to her and looked at her reproachfully. "I think Zaria's pretty much revived," Breanna snickered.

A few minutes later Fuuko appeared with Adrian. She was dragging an indolent Adrian along behind her, and she marched over to the door. "We're going in to see Zeth and Zaria," she declared.

"Uh, I don't think you should go in there-" Zitan began.

"Aww, just let them go see for themselves," Breanna chuckled. Fuuko shrugged and pushed open the door.

"Oh god!" she swore, and threw the door shut, alerting Adrian. She started to giggle irrepressibly.

"Don't slam doors in hospitals," Prince Luke teased. Fuuko fell over on Adrian, cackling. Adrian yelped and struggled to writhe out from underneath Fuuko. Cat and Zack sluggishly trudged into the room, both of them with puffy eyelids.

"I think I slept too little last night," Cat droned.

Zack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, half an hour is kinda a short time. Fuuko was heartless to wake us up."

"Well, it's your fault you two went to sleep half an hour before you knew the rest of us would be waking up," Zitan pointed out, shrugging.

"There's a sight in there that will wake you up for sure," Breanna said, gesturing towards the door.

"Why, what's in there?" Cat demand. Nobody answered, so she shrugged and flung the door open and walked in with Zack, shutting the door behind her.

They heard a shriek from inside the room and Zack blaspheming at Cat. Cat rushed out of the room looking frenzied and Zack followed her in a hustle. The door was wide open.

Zaria's eyes slowly opened, and when she saw all her friends staring at her, her face turned bright crimson and she quickly undulated and slithered down underneath the blanket. The sudden movement woke Zeth up and when he saw them he abruptly sat up with a start, the blanket falling. Everyone's eyes widened, prepared for the worst. To their consternation, Zeth was still wearing his hospital gown, and so was Zaria.

"Sheesh!" Zack exclaimed. "And you had us all riveted, expecting to see-"

"Riveted!" Zaria shouted. She threw her pillow at him. "Expecting to see something? You pervert!"

"I hope you're better now, 'cause I'm gonna throw this back at you!" Zack exclaimed, heaving the pillow. Zaria shrieked and ducked behind Zeth. The pillow hit Zeth squarely on the face.

"This is so awesome! Everyone's all right!" Cat cried. She ran over to Zaria and hugged her, heedless of all the tubes that were still attached to her body. "Zaria, we were all so worried!"

Zaria hugged Cat back. "Thank you all so much for helping me come back," she said tearfully. Everyone crowded around Zaria and swept her off the hospital bed in one big group hug.

"I love you all," Zaria whispered. "Thank you so much for being here for me."

A few moments later Dr. Reiko walked into the room. "What happened here?" she exclaimed, waving her clipboard. "Everyone, please, get out! These people are recovering from critical injuries. Give them some air!"

Everyone cleared out of the room and Dr. Reiko walked over to Zeth and Zaria, her eyebrows raised. Then she broke into a grin.

"Good job, Zeth," she congratulated. "You did it. You succeeded in bringing Zaria back."

Zaria smiled. "Thank you so much for treating us both, Doctor…"

"Reiko. Don't worry about it. It's nice to see two young people like you so devoted to each other, willing to sacrifice your own lives, protecting each other. Zaria, if it weren't for this young man here, I don't think anyone could have helped you."

"Yes, I know," Zaria said, glancing affectionately at Zeth.

Dr. Reiko smiled. "Well anyway, you two have to stay in the infirmary for another day or so, and then you can get back on the Neptune's Daughter and go to your destination. It's important, isn't it? And bear in mind, no more intense combat for a few more weeks, okay? You need to fully recuperate before undergoing any physical exertion."

Zaria reciprocated a subtle glance with Zeth. The doctor didn't know about her healing powers.

"Um, Dr. Reiko, you know who I am by now, right?" Zaria asked. The doctor nodded and looked at the clipboard.

"Zaria Locke, age eighteen, blood-type B, one hundred sixty-three centimeters tall, need any more details?" She smirked. "Yeah, I know who you are, Zaria. Fine, if you have enough strength then you can regenerate yourself and Zeth and then depart today."

"Oh thank you!" Zaria exclaimed. Doctor Reiko smiled at them and then left the room. Prince Luke walked in looking solicitous as Zaria hastily sufficiently healed Zeth and herself.

"Ready to go yet?" the Prince asked. Zaria nodded.

"Yes…as soon as we change." She shooed Zeth and Prince Luke out of the room and quickly changed into the clothing that Fuuko had fixed up for her. After that Zeth changed and they all went to the port where Commodore Tax was waiting in front of the ship.

"It's nice to see you all well," the Commodore said cordially. "We've been waiting. Our next destination will be Denzeling. I hope you all have some warm raiment along with you, for it will be very chilly on the way there."

They boarded the Neptune's Daughter, and Zaria gathered her friends together and diffidently began to tell them about her knowledge of the Interplanetary War. Everyone listened intently to Zaria's story, taking it very seriously.

Fuuko turned to Zeth. "Are you really…the General Tide? One of the famed Being Generals whom had Destruction magic?"

Zeth's eyes darkened. "I don't know. I don't remember anything. How am I supposed to remember a previous life?"

"I'm pretty sure that Masamune was after you, Zeth," Zack said. "I valiantly fended off his advances towards you."

"You're so modest," quipped Breanna dryly.

"He must be Tide!" Cat said. "There doesn't seem to be any other rational incentive that a Being like Masamune would be after him, right?"

"We don't know that, and this particular reason isn't exactly logical," Prince Luke told her. He turned to Zaria. "Do you know if Zeth is Tide?"

"Zaria can't be expected to know all the answers to everything!" Fuuko burst. She took a deep breath. "Zaria was given back her memories from her past life, but how do we know they're accurate? Zaria told us herself that Beings know how to plant fake memories in one's brain to mislead."

Zaria nodded. "Yes, that could be possible. It's another possibility…yet…I feel like I really know that this is what happened, do you understand what I mean? It's just this gut feeling inside of me that tells me this really happened…or else I wouldn't be so affected by it. Does anyone know what I mean?"

"I…I do…" Breanna said quietly. "Sometimes I see these visions…I don't know whether they're memories or not…but I know I haven't ever experienced them in my life. I don't know why I see them."

Everyone turned around to look at Breanna, but when they saw the dark expression on her face, they decided to just leave the issue and ask her another time.

"Has anyone ever thought of why we were chosen to be the Warriors of Mage? Does it have anything to do with the Interplanetary War?" Adrian piped up. All of them were silent.

"I thought it had to do with only the Mage war…but maybe it could have something to do with it. In fact, it probably does, since the warriors are called forth when the planet is facing a Being threat," Cat said quietly.

"What about the Star Warriors? How did those people become the Star Warriors?" Fuuko asked.

"From the spell that Zelda cast during the Interplanetary War," Zitan muttered. Everyone turned towards Zitan.

"…That spell! We know it has something to do with us, but now we need to know why it is us and not any other person walking on the street!" Zack exclaimed.

Zeth cleared his throat. "Don't we need to find the eighth warrior first? Once we do, we might find out a lot more about…what's happening…or what will happen."

"And don't forget, the Toki government is still hot on our heels," Fuuko reminded them. "Could the Toki have something to do with the Beings? The idea isn't that far off, you know."

"Look, there's so much more that we could argue about," Zaria interjected. "There's so much we don't know. We shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. I think the sensible thing to do is go with Prince Luke to Denzeling, where they most likely will have helpful information involving the Ice Warrior. Then we can decide what to do next."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Cat said, nodding. Everyone nodded in agreement, one by one.

Zitan stood up. "Okay. Then see you all later, because I have to go do something."

"What would you have to go do on a ship?" Breanna asked mistrustfully. Zitan's face flushed.

"I have to go to the toilet, okay? Sheesh!" He left the room leaving all his friends laughing. Everyone started piling into their bunks, going to sleep. Zaria turned to Zeth. "I'm going to sleep," she told him bluntly. She climbed up on one of the bunks and went to sleep.

"Professor, there's a telegraph for you," the Toki worker said, handing a slip of paper to Professor Stonewall.

Rena was gazing through the glass walls of her cage with eyes of abhorrence. Professor Stonewall turned to her, grinning. "My dear, if only you weren't a Locke and some other wench was, you wouldn't hate me as much. It's time for another session."

The Professor flicked a switch on the cage, and the cage started filling up with liquid. Rena cried out in anguish as the level of the liquid quickly rose up to her ankles and then to her knees, but Professor Stonewall disregarded her cries.

"Sir, are you certain that she won't drown?" the Toki worker asked, alarmed.

Professor Stonewall laughed again. "Actually, I don't know. But she's a Locke; they always manage to survive through one ordeal or another. Anyway, that's not ordinary water."

"Logan…come back out…don't stay hidden in that body forever," Rena cried weakly, slamming her hand on the glass wall. The liquid rose higher and higher and finally over Rena's head. She tried to swim up for air but then it was too late. Rena gulped in a mouthful of water and coughed. She was in agony, her lungs burning and searing in pain as the liquid filled them up.

The Toki worker looked aghast while Professor Stonewall continued to impassively work. A few moments later, Rena reopened her eyes and gazed at them. Her eyes were such a light green that they were almost yellow and had a dark look in them now, a look with even more raw malevolence than before. Her chestnut hair had turned into a dark iridescent blackish color and was swirling around in the liquid. Her features looked sharper, and she was beautiful in a dark and malicious way. On her forehead was a shining crescent moon.

"The Locke ancestry in her has finally come out," Professor Stonewall whispered. The Toki worker was frozen in fear. Rena opened her mouth and screamed, and the glass cage broke, the liquid splashing everywhere. Professor Stonewall fell to the ground and hit his head. He opened his eyes and looked lost. He looked around in confusion, and then saw Rena standing in front of him.

"R-Rena?" he stammered. "Where are we? What happened?"

"Logan," she whispered, momentarily transforming back into the real Rena.

"Rena, what happened to you?" Prince Logan cried, trying to take her hand. She shook it off.

"I am no longer Rena. You destroyed Rena, tortured her soul with your cruel experiments."

"You're not Rena? What experiments?"

She laughed cruelly. "I can't believe you don't remember. I'm not Rena! I am Aya, and I am going to give you what you are entitled to."

"Rena, tell me what happened!" Prince Logan cried, tears leaking out of his eyes. Aya looked down at him in disdain.

"I would do away with you, but Rena's spirit inside me prevents me from doing so." Aya turned away and walked into the mist and then disappeared completely. The glass wall fell down on Prince Logan's head and then he reverted back to Professor Stonewall. He quickly stood up, brushed himself off and uncharacteristically pounded the button marked "emergency procedure".

"They'll be up soon to clean everything up," he muttered. He turned to one of his texts about the Locke family and started flipping the pages.

"Aya…"

Zaria woke up, breathing hard. "Aya," she gasped.

Zeth got up and quickly climbed up to her bunk. "Zaria! Are you all right?"

Zaria fell back onto the pillow and shut her eyes. "I…I'm just seeing things again. Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep."

"Are you sure?" Zeth asked. Zaria slowly nodded. After she was unequivocally sure that Zeth had gone back to sleep, she slowly climbed out of the bunk and went outside to the upper deck. She stood by the railing and gazed up to the moon, and held up her moonstone. A crescent moon appeared on her forehead, radiating with moonlight. Her hair was blown back from her face.

"Princess Louvia," she whispered. "Please answer me. Please!"

A strong gust of wind blew throughout the entire ship, and then Prince Claude appeared.

"Prince Claude!" Zaria exclaimed. Prince Claude smiled. "Hee hee, it's me again, Zaria! Louvia is busy right now so maybe I can help you instead."

"Why, what is Princess Louvia doing?" Zaria asked.

Prince Claude became solemn. "I don't know if you know yet, but it's about one of the Locke descendants…she has hidden powers that have just been called out.

"Aya," Zaria said automatically. Prince Claude was surprised.

"I see I have underestimated your communication with the planet. Yes, in fact," he replied. "Rena Ceres is one of the remaining Locke descendants. Most of them died during the Mage War. But she doesn't have the same controlled power as you have. You are, after all, the Moon Child. You can control Holy by your own will, and you can draw on the power on the moon when you need to, did you know?"

"No, I didn't."

"Well anyway, you can by using your moonstone and casting a normal spell, but it can draw on the powers of the moon and become a different, more powerful spell. Rena cannot do that. She is being taken over by one of the Locke spirits who have mysterious powers. That spirit is Aya."

"Aya…but who is Aya?" Zaria asked. Prince Claude looked down. "I'm afraid…she is one of the more ruthless members of our family, though she is not evil. Aya lived during the same time as when you lived as Rynn. She associated with the Beings as well, but not in they way you associated with Tide. She received powers from Ciefe, one of the Being leaders. Ciefe had a good heart, and when she bestowed those powers upon Aya, she meant well. She meant for Aya to create peace between the two enemies.

"You, as Artemis, should've been informed of this, but somehow the information was kept from you, so you had no knowledge about Aya at the time. Once Aya received the powers, she was corrupted by them, and didn't help at all. In fact, she began wreaking even more havoc during the war. Eventually, Miefe found out about Aya's powers, as did Zelda, Illius and Castor, the three leaders of the Humans. The three Human leaders worked together to construct an eternal curse which they laid upon Aya. The curse is that Aya may never rest in peace after death until the Beings and Humans are at total peace."

"That's not such a wicked curse," Zaria said dubiously.

Prince Claude nodded. "I know," he replied. "But we must find a way to help Aya's spirit leave the earth."

Zaria nodded cautiously. "So…how do you expect we accomplish that?"

Prince Claude sighed. "We have to bring a moment of absolute and total peace between the Humans and the Beings. The final battle is inevitable, and perhaps after that is over then that moment will occur."

"Battle!" Zaria exclaimed, greatly disturbed. "Must there be a battle?"

Prince Claude slowly nodded. "Yes. As I told you, it's inevitable. I must warn you, Zaria, that the battle will not be in an arena of your choosing."

Zaria was silent. "You must hasten and locate the eighth warrior before the time of reckoning comes," Prince Claude continued. "I'm pretty sure Aya could help you, but you must be wary of her, not because of her nature, but because of the Toki government."

"What about the Toki government?" Zaria asked.

The Prince grimaced. "They can track her down with a radar-like device that is attuned to her. They'll know where she is at all times."

Zaria nodded. "All right. I'll keep that in mind. Where can I find Aya?"

"Find the eighth warrior first, and then Aya can be summoned using your moonstone," Prince Claude replied. He looked back up towards the moon with a start. "Whoops, Louvia's summoning me. I have to go now, Zaria. If you need to know any more, feel at liberty to ask for me anytime. I know just as much about everything as Louvia does, although I am only the Prince of the Moon."

Prince Claude winked and dissolved into the moonlight before Zaria could say another word. Her moonstone stopped glowing and the crescent moon on her forehead faded.

Thank you, Prince Claude, Zaria thought silently. She slowly walked back towards the bunk and climbed into bed. Despite all the disquieting new things she had learned, she was exhausted and fell asleep right away.

Princess Star gazed up at the stars, which were her namesake. "Mother, Father. Will you ever return?" Tears dripped out of her soft charcoal eyes. Her wavy silvery bluish hair fluttered gently in the wind. She buried her face in her hands. Her twin brother walked up behind her on the balcony, his own silvery bluish hair whipping across his stormy gray eyes. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Star. We're not alone. We have each other. After all, we are twins."

"Yes, but Mother and Father have gone back in time to change the past…it's paradoxical! What if they are destroyed? Time is a perilous thing to meddle with. And right now there's no one on the throne of Torus…there is no King and Queen of Torus…we're in great danger, Sky! In danger of the usurpers who will come to assassinate us if they have the chance!"

"I know that, Star. But don't worry. Mother and Father will come back! They will make everything all right again, and I will protect you for now, my sister."

Princess Star turned to her twin and softly cried on his shoulder. "Thank you, Sky," she sobbed.

Prince Sky wrapped his arms around his twin sister. "Don't worry, Star. Remember what Mother said. Eight warriors will be summoned to protect us from the evil that will threaten Torus. We will be safe. They will protect us."

Cat yawned and sat up in the bunk, bonking her head on the bunk above her. "Ow," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. She looked around. Everyone else was still asleep. She chuckled to herself in satisfaction. Now she would be able to use the bathroom first. She leaped out of the bed and snatched her clothing and flew into the bathroom and then slammed the door shut.

The sound woke Breanna up. Breanna rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. She climbed down off the top bunk, not quite unintentionally stepping on Prince Luke's face in the process.

"Umm," the Prince said, wrinkling his nose. "Breanna, as pretty as you may be, your feet don't smell that good in the morning."

"I was going to apologize for stepping on you, but don't even think about it now!" Breanna exclaimed, kicking his face again.

The Prince groaned and rolled over. "Go wake someone else, please."

"Is that an order?" Breanna asked mockingly. Prince Luke groaned again.

"Grr, just go!" Breanna laughed as a pillow hit her.

Zitan got up, stretching him arms. "What a cramped cabin we're in!" he exclaimed.

After they all were outfitted in their winter apparel and ready to go, they went up to the deck.

"We can see Denzeling from here," Prince Luke said affably, pointing off into the distance. Zaria squinted and gazed towards the direction he was pointing at.

"The sun's coming in my eyes," she complained. Prince Luke placed his palm over her forehead. "Now, look."

Denzeling was coming into view, the crystal peaks of the buildings glittering in the light of the sunrise.

"Denzeling is also known as the Crystal City, and the royal castle is dubbed the 'Crystal Palace of Denzeling'," Adrian read from a tour guide book that he had somehow conjured. "It is one of the prides of Northern Nova. Back in the Interplanetary War, it was one of the Human headquarters. In the Mage War, the Crystal Palace was destroyed by waves of powerful Destruction magic and then reconstructed to the splendor that it is today." He turned to Prince Luke. "I didn't know that Denzeling played such a big part in the Interplanetary War. In fact, I didn't even know that Nova existed during the Interplanetary War!"

The Prince smiled proudly. "There are many texts about the events that occurred in Denzeling during both of the great wars of the past," he said. "Go to the Crystal Palace Library, and you'll get a lot of information."

Breanna smirked and turned away. "Don't let your head inflate, Lukey Pooky," she mocked, mimicking Cat.

Zeth, who was standing nearby, turned to Breanna. "Bree, do you like him or something?" he teased. Breanna's face turned scarlet.

"NO," she said in a huff, sticking her acrimonious face two inches in front of Zeth's face. Zeth stepped back inadvertently, colliding into Zack.

"Hey!" Zack exclaimed, pushing Zeth away. Zeth lost his balance and almost fell into the brine if it weren't for Adrian quickly metamorphosing into his morphed form and flitting forth to pull him back. In the process he dropped his guidebook into the water.

"#$!" he swore, heaving a harried Zeth onto the deck. "My book!"

"Not to worry, I have a spare," Fuuko stated, bringing forth another book identical to Adrian's. Adrian squealed with delight and leaped for it. Fuuko handed it to him and patted him on the head. "Good boy."

"Oh yeah, and I'm fine, after almost plunging into the waves and getting hurled inhumanly onto the deck," Zeth said acerbically, dusting himself off.

"Allow me to continue!" Adrian shouted, flipping to the page he had been previously reading. "Currently, King Rufus and Queen Trisha are reigning Northern Nova. Prince Thomas Luke the Second is currently the crown prince, unless by some contingency the long-lost Prince Logan returns," Adrian read dramatically.

"They said that in the tour guide book?" Cat asked skeptically, reaching out for the book.

"Yes they did!" Adrian returned, pulling it out of her reach. He turned back to the book. "Anyway, King Rufus will still not give up in the search for his elder son. He is suspicious of the Toki government of abducting him, for he was phenomenally brilliant as a child, in contrast to the imbecile juvenile prince, Prince Thomas Luke the Second."

"All right, you gotta be making that up!" Cat said, snatching the book from Adrian. She scanned the lines and cast it back at him. "Fine, half of it's true."

Adrian grinned and reopened the book and continued to read aloud, but everyone ignored him.

"We're so close now!" Zaria exclaimed ecstatically. She shivered. "It is somewhat chilly around here, though."

"Dreadfully chilly," Fuuko agreed enthusiastically.

"I can warrant that this will be one of the most magnificent places that you'll ever see," Prince Luke said, gazing at his home with longing. "I haven't been home for so long."

"Neither have we," Breanna said dryly. "In fact, I've never been home my whole life."

"Bree, cheer up!" Zitan insisted, patting her on the back.

"Yeah, Bree, we'll be in the celebrated 'Crystal Palace of Denzeling' soon!" Cat chimed in.

The Neptune's Daughter gradually slowed to a stop, and they all piled out of the boat.

"Let's go to my residence now," Prince Luke said cheerfully, a broad grin on his face. They all followed Prince Luke through the crystalline streets of Denzeling.

"Everything really is crystal here. It looks so glacial around here…we're bound to find an intimation about what we're looking for. It's so beautiful," Zaria breathed, gazing at the crystal buildings. After not much walking they approached the most majestic crystal edifice of all.

"This is the Crystal Palace of Denzeling," Prince Luke said imperiously, gesturing towards the castle.

"Wow, this place is even more impressive than the Twin Castle of Heide Tiseau!" Cat exclaimed, emphasizing her remark by waving her hands up and down.

"Let's go in now," Zack said eagerly.

Prince Luke led them into the palace. All the guards bowed deeply and greeted the Prince with reverence. As soon as Prince Luke walked in the regal crystalline main doors of the palace, an elderly woman rushed up. "Oh Prince Luke, dear, you're back! Come see your sire and dam at once, they've been waiting for so long for your return! Come now!"

The lady led the way to the throne room, where King Rufus and Queen Trisha were waiting. King Rufus had light flaxen hair that had lightened into a gold-silver over time, and he was wearing raiment similar to Prince Claude's, with the same heavy silver mantle wrapped around his shoulders. Queen Trisha, although elderly, was still beautiful in her elven way, her miniature pointy ears sticking out from the masses of her silver-sheen baby pink colored hair.

"Queen Trisha is half elf, right?" Cat whispered to Fuuko, who nodded.

"Mom! Dad!" Prince Luke shouted, and ran up and hugged each of his parents in turn.

"Oh, my son," Queen Trisha breathed as Prince Luke hugged her. You have finally returned."

"Mom, dad, let me acquaint you to my honored guests," Prince Luke said, and he introduced all of them to the King and Queen. Queen Trisha's eyes rested on Cat.

"Dear, you are a pretty little one," she said softly. "Are you…by any chance…from Torus?"

Cat slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, your highness, I'm from the elven stock in the Forest of the Elves," she replied.

"Oh," the Queen replied. "You remind me of my little sister, Princess Lara. Torus was my home…" she said longingly.

"Well, we must get you all settled!" King Rufus exclaimed in a disposition similar to King Julian's. "Luke, take them to the Snowflake Chamber. Its facilities are large enough to accommodate you all, I believe."

The Snowflake Chamber was a colossal chamber embellished with whites and light blues, and there were scintillating crystals everywhere.

Prince Luke told them to relax while he went to query his parents about the Ice Warrior, and he returned an hour later.

"I have some information that you all will surely find valuable," Prince Luke told them. "Mom's sister happened to have Ice magic, but Queen Lara is currently inaccessible. We have no way to contact her. Therefore we will have to transport you all to Ptero, the capital city of Torus, where you can speak with the Royal Twins of Torus, Queen Lara's children."

"Thank you so much, Luke!" Zaria exclaimed.

"But, there is one complication," Prince Luke said. "We intend to warp you all to Torus via our warping machine built right after the Mage War, but it only can warp you to one place…to Tenebatos."

"Tenebatos!" Adrian exclaimed. "Tenebatos is the ancient Being headquarters on this planet! They performed a myriad of magical experiments there, which left long-lasting results…who knows what we'll find there? It's one of the most treacherous areas on the entire planet!"

"Calm down," Cat whispered in Adrian's ear.

Prince Luke looked contrite. "Yes…it will be laborious, but we believe that you all are capable of journeying through the abandoned ruins. We will supply you with items and weapons that should help you get through there. Unfortunately, that is the only way you can possibly get to Ptero because the whole city is guarded while the King and Queen are on their mysterious journey."

"How can we get from Tenebatos to Ptero?" Fuuko asked.

"There's another warp machine in Tenebatos that will take you straight into the royal castle in Ptero," Prince Luke explained. "Nobody has used it in decades, but it is still supposed to work. After all, the magic used to build it is part of an interminable spell."

"We can handle it!" Zack declared, swinging his spear, almost knocking Cat over in the process.

"Thank you for all you have done for us," Zeth said graciously. "We will depart for Tenebatos tomorrow, if that's all right with you."

"Why don't you all rest now until dinner," Prince Luke suggested. "Tomorrow you have a prolonged day, so you need as much rest as possible. I'll come and summon you when it's time to dine."

"Summon?" Cat said after the prince left the room.

Rena opened her eyes. Where was she? This was the first time in years that she had woken up and had not seen the glass cage encircling her.

_You are in Goblin Grove,_ a voice said in her head. Rena sat up with a start.

"What? Who was that?" she asked aloud.

_I am Aya, an angel that cannot return to heaven, for a curse has been laid upon me._

"Aya? W-What are you doing inside me? Was it you that assisted me in escaping from the Toki labs?"

_Yes. I am in you because you are a Locke, as am I. The time of reckoning is drawing near, so this is my opportunity to finally rest in peace. Will you allow me to use your body at times?_

"Uh, I suppose so," Rena said, dumbfounded. "What is it that you need to be done?"

_Absolute peace between the Beings and the Humans is what will release me from my bonds._

"Beings? Wasn't the Interplanetary War 10,000 years ago? I didn't know that Beings still existed!"

_They do, but they have not disturbed us for 10,000 years. They are starting to act now, because they sense the strength of our planet weakening. They intend to reign over the Humans, for they believe that they are a superior species, which on some levels of understanding is true. Only one thing can save the Planet now. The Mage Warriors, who will act on the day of the Messiah._

"Um, I don't really know what you're talking about, but you can explain it to me later, Aya," Rena said.

_Good. For now, we must quickly depart._

"What?"

_Toki subordinates will be here soon to retrieve you. They unceasingly know your whereabouts. They have a device attuned to you. I will help you remain liberated, if you permit me to attempt to adjourn my curse using your body when I require to._

"Yeah, sure, whatever you want, Aya," Rena said somberly. "It's not really like I have anything to live for."

_We'll see. No one knows about how things will work out. Now do you mind if I take control in order to leave this forest?_

"Go ahead," Rena said dully, and let her spirit retreat while Aya's took over. Her body became more powerful, her features sharpened and her hair and eye color changed. Aya leaped into the air and flew away.


	11. Chapter 11 Ancient City

Ancient City 

"Here's some more healing elixirs, and some antidotes," Prince Luke said, proffering a parcel to Zack. "Oh wait, and here's a letter that Mom wrote which you can present to Prince Sky and Princess Star to verify that you are legitimate. It has the seal of Northern Nova royalty."

"Thank you very much, Lukey Pooky!" Cat said cheerfully. "We'll come back and see you for sure after our mission is fulfilled! Don't forget to invite us to the wedding ceremony between you and Princess Giselle!"

Prince Luke smiled at Cat. "We should go now," Zeth said quietly. "Or we won't make it to Ptero by nightfall. I think it will be difficult to set up camp there."

"Yes, you should hustle," Queen Trisha inserted. She smiled. "Come back as soon as you can, all of you."

They all stepped into the warping apparatus, and Prince Luke slowly flicked the switch. The bright green warping ball whizzed over and swathed them all in its light and dashed away.

Prince Luke turned to his mother. "Mother…I wish I had gone with them…"

"Owwww," Zack moaned, rubbing his knee. The warping device had thrown them down on the floor rather violently. He stood up and looked around at the antediluvian city of Tenebatos. "Whoa."

Adrian stood up and stared in the direction Zack was looking. "Oh no…"

"We have to go through that whole place to find the warping machine?" Cat cried despairingly.

"This is by far the biggest city I have ever seen!" Fuuko exclaimed.

Tenebatos was full of ancient lofty buildings, and was designed mostly for people with wings. It had a paranormal look about it, and the wind made ghostly moaning sounds.

"How are we gonna get around?" Zitan wondered audibly.

"Why don't we just sprout some wings?" Breanna suggested sardonically.

"Adrian and I could fly each one of you to each building, one at a time," Cat suggested.

"Yeah, we could do that," Adrian agreed, reaching for Zack.

"Whoa, not so fast!" Zack exclaimed, pulling away.

"You two would get fatigued really quickly," Fuuko pointed out. "I would use my wind vortexes to help, but they don't seem to work as assuredly in this vicinity. There's not enough wind power to gather up to create any more than three."

"Yeah, and you would be drained by using your magic like that to convey us," Zaria agreed. "No, we can't do that. We'll have to find some other way. Think, guys, think!"

Everyone stood in thought. After a minute passed by, Cat started hopping up and down. "I'm going crazy," she shrieked. "This is so pointless!"

All of a sudden the crescent moon on Zaria's forehead appeared and started glowing brilliantly. Zaria groaned and grabbed her forehead.

"Ugh, my head," she muttered. Adrian quickly reached out right before she fell, catching her.

"Zaria, what happened?" Breanna exclaimed. Zaria took deep breaths and stood back up.

"I was…uh…well, all of a sudden, my knees went weak and I…I…don't know."

"A moon appeared on your forehead, but then it vanished," Cat told her, her eyes wide.

Zaria shook her head in confusion. "Really?"

The crescent moon reappeared. This time Zaria fell back on Zitan, clutching her head even harder, her slender hands gnarled into the shape of claws.

"Ugh...this…hurts!" she shrieked. All of a sudden a ray of moonlight shot out from her forehead, shooting straight ahead. It spread out and created a translucent bridge of moonlight between the two towers. Zitan felt Zaria relaxing in his arms.

"Hey Sis, you okay?" he asked.

She slowly nodded and pulled herself back up. "Thank you, Selene," she said quietly. She turned to the others. "I just used the moon aspect of the Universal Holy. Don't worry, I'll be all right, it only weakened me slightly. Just cross the bridge."

Cat and Adrian flew across the bridge. "Come on over!" Cat called, waving. The others slowly crossed the translucent bridge, uneasily gazing down below.

"We're…um…really high," Zack said nervously. Fuuko batted his face playfully, and he almost lost his balance. As soon as they all had crossed, the bridge reformed into a ray of moonlight and shot back into Zaria's forehead. The crescent moon on her forehead faded.

"Universal Holy is more versatile than I thought," Zitan observed.

They all walked inside the tower, where a small teddy bear-like creature was sitting alone in a large room. As soon as it spied them, it shrieked and ran into a corner, shaking.

"Oh, that little creature is so adorable!" Fuuko exclaimed. She slowly stepped up to it.

"Hello! Don't fret, we won't hurt you!" she said to it.

It looked up. "Are you sure?" it asked tentatively.

Everyone was startled. "Hey, the little thing can talk!" Zack exclaimed.

"Are you really sure?" it repeated.

Fuuko smiled at it. "Of course we won't hurt you," she replied. "Come here." She held out her arms and the thing hesitantly stepped up to her and jumped into her arms.

"You're so darling!" Fuuko cried, hugging it close. "Do you have a name?"

"I'm Kupo Kog," it replied. "And I'm two years old. My mommy died a year ago."

"Oh, you poor thing!" exclaimed Fuuko. "I'm Fuuko. Kupo…what a cute name! Do you wanna stay with us? We'll take care of you, Kupo!"

"Okay, I'll go with you, Fuuko Fog," Kupo agreed.

"You're gonna bring that thing with us?" Breanna asked Fuuko in distaste. Fuuko nodded.

"Of course. The poor thing…Kupo's parents are gone, Bree!"

"It's not like I lived with parents taking care of me," Breanna muttered, shaking her head. She turned away. "Fine, keep it if you want. But when you're bored of the thing, don't come begging me to take it."

"Hee hee, don't worry Kupo, that means she likes you," Zaria told the little Kog. Kupo fluttered its wings appreciatively.

"Breanna Bog!"

"All right, enough talking. Let's go," ordered Zeth. He walked ahead and the others followed him, Kupo flying right beside Fuuko. Zeth approached another tower and Kupo began making frantic noises and batting Fuuko's head.

"What's wrong, Kupo?" Cat asked. Kupo continued to wave its hands about frantically. It stopped flapping its wings and ran to Zeth and lodged itself on Zeth's leg.

"What the #$!" Zeth shouted, shaking his leg. "Someone get this thing off me!"

"Kupo, what's wrong?" Fuuko asked, alarmed.

"Don't go in there!" Kupo squealed, gesturing towards the door. Zeth ceased his struggling and Kupo climbed off his leg.

"Danger inside. No want you hurt. Jewel guarding crystal."

"Crystal?" Zitan asked. "What crystal? We might need it for something in here…"

"Why would we need a crystal?" Cat asked skeptically.

"There's bound to be some sort of maze or puzzle in here," Adrian explained. "The Beings were a very smart species. They probably made sure that it would be a challenging task to get warped over to Ptero, so that only creditable individuals could use the warping machine. Warping techniques aren't easy to develop, you know."

"Then we should collect as many items as possible," Zeth agreed. "We never know when we'll need them, especially in a place such as Tenebatos, an ancient Being headquarters."

"So…we're going into the dangerous place where Kupo told us not to go?" Zack asked, his lips pursed.

"It's not like we're ignorantly walking into danger, Zack," Zaria replied. "We know what we're doing, and we're prepared to face the worst."

"All right, let's go already! The suspense is killing me!" Cat complained. She flew across the walkway and charged into the door, knocking it over. A loud clashing noise came from inside the tower, resonating throughout the empty city.

Kupo frantically squeaked and spread its little wings, trying to fly towards the tower.

"We gotta follow her, NOW!" Fuuko shouted, running towards the door. Everyone followed Fuuko into the tower, but as soon as they walked in, they froze. Inside it did not look like a tower at all. It looked like a ballroom, similar to the one in the Twin Castle at Heide Tiseau. It seemed like the interior of the tower was larger than the exterior.

"Illusion," Zitan muttered.

"Where's Cat?" asked Adrian, sounding frantic. "Is she in here?"

Everyone looked around the ballroom, but Cat was nowhere to be seen. There was absolutely no sign that someone had crashed into the room.

"She couldn't have gone anywhere," Zaria said, her voice turning shrill. "There's no doors in here, no hallways, no stairs. It's just a ballroom. She has to be in this room!"

Zaria stood there, shouting for Cat. She whirled around to the rest of them. "What are you doing, just standing there like statues!" she screamed. "We have to look for Cat! I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of my negligence to details…"

She sank down to her knees. Everyone turned away, not knowing what to do. Zeth considered using his Ultima Ray, but after he tried it he found that it couldn't infiltrate the magic in the Being architecture. Adrian glanced in Zaria's direction. The spot in which she was kneeling down was becoming slightly hazy. He narrowed his eyes, looking harder. The spot became even more blurred.

"Damn," he muttered, and quickly morphed into his vampire form.

"MOVE!" he bellowed at Zaria. She looked up at him, startled, as the spot became even more indistinct and shimmied in the light. Adrian leaped into the air and pumped his wings with all his might, speeding over to her. He snatched her away just as a huge tentacle ripped up through the floor, traveling towards the ceiling.

The tentacle whizzed back down, striking Adrian's wings. Adrian cried out in pain as his wings went flaccid and he and Zaria fell towards the floor. Zitan and Zack ran over and caught them just in time. The tentacle was sucked back into the floor, and the floor shimmered once, as if it were water, then it reformed as the perfect ballroom floor it was before.

"What the $& was that?" Zack exclaimed, hastily pouring some healing elixir on Adrian's wings.

"Everyone, stay alert!" Zitan shouted, holding his sister. Zaria was still trembling in fear. "J-J-Jewel," she stammered.

"What are you trying to say, Zaria?" Zitan asked her, exasperated. Zaria cleared her throat and closed her eyes.

"I remember now…this is almost certainly a Jewel."

"A Jewel?" Zitan asked.

"It's like the Being's trump card," Zaria said. "It's a secret, special type of animal that they used as their ultimate weapon. They created it and called it 'Jewel'. A Jewel is a tremendously formidable foe, and very few humans have been known to endure encounters with them. Some of its body parts can be revived, and once they are, they can revive the entire Jewel. There were not many of them created, and most of them are hidden in abandoned places, presumed dead, although some may still be alive, even after 10,000 years."

"Damn!" exclaimed Zack. "They sure live long."

"As I said, they are not a normal species of animal," Zaria told him. "Beings used them the way humans used dragons manipulated by magic, but the dragons have become extinct long ago, and I doubt that they are like Jewels, able to survive for millennia."

"Are you saying that that thing we just saw is a Jewel?" Breanna asked, her eyes wide. Zaria slowly nodded. "I think so…"

"If that really is the case, we're in big #$!" Zack exclaimed. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Not until we find Cat!" Zaria cried frantically, tears forming in her eyes.

Adrian managed to pull himself back up and nodded at Zack. "I'm all right now. Let's just go outside and check our inventory and prepare ourselves for an upcoming battle. Cat has either survived for this long or not, and I think that we should assume that she has, so she probably can for a little longer until we can get to her."

Zaria hung her head and the rest of them all ran in the direction where the door was.

"Oh no!" Fuuko cried. "The door is gone!"

Indeed, the place where the door had previously been was now a ballroom wall. They looked around the whole room, but all the doors had disappeared.

"It wants to lock us in here and come in for the kill," Zitan said darkly.

Zeth looked around frantically and went up to the wall, pressing his hands on it. "There might be a section that is illusion!" he shouted. "Everyone split up and check the entire room! There might be an opening! _And stay on guard!_" he emphasized. They all ran around the room, pressing their hands to the walls.

"I think I found something!" Adrian shouted, reaching into the wall. "There's some sort of opening here!" He reached his hand in further.

"Be careful, freak!" Breanna shouted. He snapped his head around to look at her but then his hand went in further and his eyes widened.

"$&! There's something pulling me in!" he shouted, and he kept on sinking into the wall.

Breanna leaped over to Adrian and grabbed his other arm and pulled. "Ugh!" she said, yanking as powerfully as she could. "This thing is strong! Eeeeeek!"

Breanna and Adrian were rapidly pulled into the wall and then vanished completely.

"Bree!" Zitan shouted, running over to the spot in which they had disappeared. He smacked his hand on the wall.

"The opening is gone!" he cried, turning frenetically to Zeth. Then they all heard a rumble, and the floor started shaking. Then they heard Breanna's voice.

"Uuuuunnhhh! You can do better than that, you damn Jewel! Adrian, get up!"

The floor rumbled again, harder this time. It shook so violently that Zaria fell back and Zack caught her just in time.

"Hold still, princess," he said, his eyes darting around surreptitiously.

"EEEEYYYYYAAAAAKKKKHHH!" shrieked Breanna from somewhere, and then the floor cracked between Zeth and Zaria. The crack expanded and became a profound cliff. Zaria and Zack were left on one side, while Fuuko, Zeth and Zitan were on the other.

"Zack!" Fuuko cried. Zaria's eyes closed and she slumped into Zack's arms, the crescent moon appearing on her forehead again.

"Something's gonna happen to Zaria! Do something!" Zitan shouted.

"Wind Vortex!" Fuuko shouted, and a strong gust of wind blew through the room, picking up Fuuko, Zeth and Zitan. The wind started to transport them over to the other side but then as they passed the cliff an enormous tentacle popped up and slapped them down to the side, knocking the three of them unconscious.

"Fuuko! Zeth! Zitan!" Zack shouted, holding the fallen Zaria. He shook Zaria. "Please wake up, Zaria, please!" he implored.

The crescent moon on her forehead glowed even brighter.

"Damn!" Zack cursed. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. "It probably has something to do with the Jewel and the fact that you're the Moon Maiden Artemis," he muttered, his face grim.

"Unh! Argh! Yaaakhh! Ha!" came Breanna's voice from the bottom of the cliff. "Gotcha now…EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

"Watch out, Bree!" came Adrian's voice.

"Oh no," Zack moaned. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't send a haphazard ray of Apocalypse down into the cliff, because then it might strike Adrian, Breanna or Cat. He slammed his fist on the floor, inadvertently knocking Zaria's moonstone to the side. "Damn."

Zaria slightly stirred. "Uh…Zack?" she asked softly, opening her eyes. The crescent moon on her forehead had disappeared.

"The moonstone!" Zack exclaimed.

"Huh?" asked Zaria, confused.

"The moonstone is calling the Moon Maiden Artemis in you out whenever the Jewel is near, and you can't stand its aura as the Moon Maiden Artemis!" Zack explained. He picked up the stone and put it in his pocket. "Let me keep it for you for now."

Zaria's hand quickly flew up to her throat, where the chain that held Zeth's ring was. "All right."

"Now that you're awake, could you heal them?" Zack asked, pointing to the three on the other side of the cliff. The sounds of battle below were still loud and clear. Zaria nodded and stood up. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Healing wind!" she shouted, and air with healing magic flew throughout the entire room, refreshing and awakening everyone.

Zeth ran to the edge of the cliff. "We gotta help them!" he shouted, and leaped down.

"There he goes again, jumping down random cliffs," Zack said, rolling his eyes and Fuuko quickly sent a large wind vortex down. Zack held Zaria tightly by the waist and leaped down, Zaria clutching on to him tightly. Fuuko and Zitan jumped down after them.

"This thing is tough," Breanna muttered, her lip swollen and her body bruised from all the blows she had received from the tentacles of the Jewel. Adrian ran over to her.

"Bree, are you all right?"

"Whaddya think, freak?" she groaned.

Adrian glanced up menacingly at the Jewel. "You piece of #$!" he shouted, leaping at the Jewel. "Tetra Flare!" he shouted, and the Jewel was surrounded by fire. It howled as the fire burned its body. Adrian fell to the ground and closed his eyes, exhausted. A wave of magic dust flew back at him, knocking him unconscious. The Jewel used a healing spell and cured itself as the fire dissipated. The gargantuan creature stomped towards the fallen Adrian and Breanna, ready to strike the deathblow…

"Thunder Strike!" came Cat's voice from afar, and three thunderbolts surrounded the Jewel and charged electricity through it. It howled in pain and fell to the ground with a large thump. Cat appeared and flew over to Breanna and Adrian.

"Bree! Adriana!" she exclaimed, flying down and standing next to them. She knelt over Adrian.

"Adriana, please be okay," she murmured in his ear, stroking his hair. "Please!"

Breanna slowly opened her eyes and saw Cat and Adrian. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her back.

"Bree! You're all right!" Cat cried, hugging her. She turned back to Adrian, a tear forming. "But Adrian…he's…"

"He can't be dead," Breanna declared, feeling for his pulse. "He just got the wind knocked out of him."

A few feet away, Zack, Zaria, Zeth, Fuuko and Zitan fell to the ground with a thump. They all stood up and brushed themselves off.

Zaria ran over to Breanna and Adrian. "Healing wind!" she shouted, and they were instantly restored.

Adrian opened his eyes and gazed at Cat. "You're alive," he said softly as his eyes focused on her.

She nodded and hugged him. "Thank you for coming to get me, Adriana."

There was a low growl from the Jewel. Everyone looked in its direction as it slowly pulled itself up and stood before them in all its malevolent magnificence.

"This is…Sapphire Jewel," Zaria breathed, gazing up at the creature. Sapphire Jewel howled again and lifted its claw, ready to strike at Zaria. Fuuko shoved Zaria out of the way.

"Stop standing like a statue right where it can get you," Fuuko reproved, gasping for breath.

"It doesn't look like Sapphire is gonna let us go free," Zeth said, drawing his sword. "Get ready to fight, everyone." They all brought out their weapons.

"Transform gunblade!" Zeth shouted, and his sword morphed itself into a gunblade identical to Rafael Toki's. He jumped onto Sapphire's back and violently slashed at it with his gunblade, shooting the revolver on it at the same time. The gunblade then blurred and reformed into Zeth's original sword.

"Argh, that spell wore out too fast!" complained Zeth through clenched teeth. He raised his sword to strike again when Sapphire jerked its back and threw Zeth off.

"Triple Apocalypse!" shouted Zack, sending forth a triple dose of Apocalypse. It struck Sapphire but the Jewel countered it with a laser beam straight at Zack.

"Zack!" cried Cat, and she knelt over him as he lay there, motionless. Zitan cast a revival spell on him and he woke, then Zitan cast another spell, a Time spell to slow Sapphire down.

Sapphire was now moving in slow motion, leisurely clomping towards them. Zaria took advantage of the time to gather together her energy and concentrate it on her magic.

"Holy…light!" she gasped, and a bright white light from above shone down on Sapphire, engulfing it in its luminosity.

Sapphire howled in pain as it writhed in the Holy magic, and finally Zaria collapsed, exhausted, and the Holy ray vanished.

Sapphire also collapsed to the ground, weakened significantly.

"Finish it off, Zeth!" Zack shouted, scooping up Zaria and carrying her off the battlefield. Zeth glanced back at Zaria and saw her shining emerald eyes gazing at him as Zack carried her away. He knew the message that she was giving him, the message to not give up.

Zeth took a deep breath and turned back to Sapphire. He would use his Ultima magic to defeat it. He closed his eyes and gathered all the magic running through his veins and concentrated it in his mind. Ultima…Ultima…Ultima…Destruction…Destruction?

Why had the word Destruction involuntarily appeared in his mind? What had happened? Was he being pulled back to his Being roots from his past life?

He lost all concentration in his mortification and the magic was released from him in a non-orderly fashion, spraying about in every which way, being used up with no purpose.

Zeth fell to the ground, internally fuming at himself as he clutched his head. What was happening to him? He felt so confused. A persistent beep was resonating in his head, and the sound was driving him mad. All of a sudden he felt a thrill pulse throughout his body, and magic was released, aimed straight at Sapphire.

The Destruction magic hit Sapphire straight at its heart, and enveloped the Jewel's entire body. Sapphire made a high-pitched cry as it was dissolved into nothingness, leaving nothing but a small sapphire gem on the ground.

Zeth cried out as another wave of pain hit him, and fell to the ground, knowing no more.

"Zeth!" Zaria cried, breaking out of Zack's grasp and running to Zeth's side. She took him into her arms and muttered something to herself.

"What happened to him?" Cat asked.

"Leave them alone for now," Zitan said quietly. "I don't think it's anything physical that's wrong with him."

"Zeth…wake up," Zaria whispered, holding Zeth closer to her. "I know you can defeat the one inside of you."

Cat slowly walked over to the sapphire gem, which was blinking in the dim light in the ballroom, which was left in ruins.

"I think I'll just keep this for now," she said faintly, placing the gem into her pocket. She left the room, and the others slowly followed her.

Zaria hugged Zeth tightly. "Wake up. They're leaving…we have to go now, Zeth."

He remained still and unresponsive, not moving a muscle.

"Zeth…" Zaria cried softly, sobbing on his shoulder.

"Zeth."

"What?"

"Get up now."

"What? I was asleep? Who are you?"

"You are asleep. Get up."

"But why?"

"Because. What I say is what goes, if you're going to seek my aid."

"Who are you? Who says I need your help?"

"In order to succeed in your quest without losing the most important part of yourself, you must listen to me."

"What? Who are you? Where am I? Where have you taken me? Take me back! Everyone needs me!"

"Not until our business is complete. I can't tell you who I am, not just yet. You have been transported into your own soul."

Zeth opened his eyes, got up and looked around. He appeared to be standing in the middle of a vast desert, the sand dunes whistling quietly.

"What do you want from me?" he shouted into the wind.

"Shut up and listen. This is for your own good. No, let me correct that. It's not only for your own good; it's for the good of the Planet. Your home."

"The Being planet or my current home planet?" Zeth asked softly.

"So you remember your last cycle of life. It's not often that creatures do, unless they meet others whom they have interacted with in their previous lives and go through a traumatic experience with the other."

"Your point?"

"My point is that the success of your mission will ensure the safety of both planets, and the final destruction of Miefe. Miefe is in fact a Being demi-god whom has survived for all these years…who has fed on the blood of others in order to be alive for that day of reckoning."

"What?" Zeth asked, shocked. "I never knew Miefe was…"

"No one knows. Only Miefe and Ciefe know. They both still live. Much more is at stake than you currently realize, and will ever know. I will try to tell you as much as I can. The day of reckoning is drawing near, dark one. On that day, you must use your powers for good, and not for evil as Destruction has been used for many times in the past. Destruction is in fact not an evil magic, but is can be compared to Holy as the North Pole can be compared to the South Pole. They are merely the opposite poles of one big swirling mass of all the magic ever existed. If, on the day of reckoning, those two types of magic do not reunite as they had been united before the Creation of the Divine Ones, then the Divine Ones will take it as a sign that this Universe is not worthy enough to go on. They will then destroy it and start anew."

"WHAT?"

"That is all you may know about the day of reckoning, which during the Creation of the Divine Ones has been named Messiah by the Divine Ones. It is yet to know what the Messiah will bring, but the lot rests on the shoulders of all creatures in the universe."

"What am I supposed to do?" Zeth asked, trying to take in the shocking information. "I'm only…Zeth Lanier. My life has been hard enough already! How come most of the responsibility is on the success of the mission that I am leading? I've handled enough in my two remembered lifetimes that anyone should handle in their whole cycle of life, even after their souls return to the Divine Ones!"

"Don't be selfish. The Moon Maiden Artemis would not appreciate it if her significant other was selfish."

"And Zaria! Why does Zaria have to be brought into this? All she wanted…all _we_ ever wanted was a normal life, no fame and no glory, just living together and being happy. Why can't we have that? Zaria's been through a lot, too. Why do I have to be Zaria's enemy, yet she is the only one whom wields the ability to protect me from myself! I've heard so many things that I don't know what to believe. Zaria is supposed to be my enemy, my protector, my significant other, the one I unite with to save the universe, and my loved and cherished one that I protect, all at the same time! Why must we be the ones to bear this burden?" Zeth burst.

All was quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was the whistling of the sand dunes. "Answer me!" Zeth cried. "Of all times to stop talking, you choose this moment!"

"Everything is up to you, Zeth."

"And what if I don't decide? What will happen then?"

"If you do not perform your duty, you will find out. But alas, I must warn you that no matter what path you take, you will lose."

"Lose?" demanded Zeth. "Lose what?"

"You will lose. But you still must choose."

Zeth raised his head. "No," he said, "I will not. I will find a way. I'm not going to lose anything! And I don't need anyone to help me. I will change fate and protect everyone with my own abilities. How do I even know that you're not making up this business with the Divine Ones? All of this is so far off from reality…I don't know what to think about anything anymore…is our whole world illusion? Are all of my friends part of the illusion? Am I illusion? I have thoughts…I'm thinking now…but am I? Is Zaria? No, it can't be. How can everything I've lived through been planned and created by something else of greater power? I don't believe it…"

"No one's asking you to believe it. Who knows, maybe you all will someday all live in peace and happiness, and there will be no more fighting. Maybe then you will be reborn with your loved ones and live the true reality that the Divine Ones had meant for all living creatures."

"The true reality…"

"The true reality is a holy planet where all live in harmony. No one knows when it will happen. In fact, that may never happen."

"Then…the Messiah?"

"The Messiah is the day of reckoning where the fate of the universe is decided. It is even more powerful than the blessing of the birth of the Moon Maiden Artemis. Artemis's blessing is only terrestrial, but the Messiah, the Messiah is all. The Messiah will bless the universe, purifying it. It is also known as the Destruction. But that has two meanings. If the universe is currently worthy, then the Messiah will cleanse it completely and enable everyone to live in peace. If not…then the blessing will be…"

"…Total destruction," said Zeth impassively.

"Yes."

"Then…what is the point of my journey? Why are we looking for the Ice Warrior? How come the point of this mission has become so much more than just running away from the Toki and building a barrier around the site of the Black Hole project? Are those things still relevant?"

"Let me recapitulate everything that you must know. Your current mission is indeed relevant, but in more ways than one. It started out as you and your Zaria living 10,000 years ago during the Interplanetary War, which now seems like ancient history. You lived as Tide, one of the most respected Being generals of that war, until you met Rynn, who was actually the Moon Maiden Artemis. Although you were strong, she weakened your heart, because after all, you two share a bond that has lasted for millennia. You both died an untimely but enormously infamous death that has been recorded in the history books and has lasted for centuries. It is known as a romantic legend that many young people fantasize about sharing with the one they love. They don't know how the Moon Maiden Artemis's magic saved both of your souls. Your true identity, your true name is yet to be known, but you will find out in due course. You were then reincarnated along with the Moon Maiden Artemis into the current era, where you both played roles in the Mage War, the most recent war of the continent. You and Artemis were both separated by a time warp strategically placed by one of the Being priests during the Interplanetary War."

"So our separation was planned?" Zeth asked, shocked.

"Yes, it was. By the Beings, who had somehow foreseen that you would be reborn during this time period, and for some reason they wanted you to be alive and young during this particular time…maybe you have an important role to help the Beings during the coming of the Messiah. Alas, they did not realize that the Moon Maiden Artemis would inherit an ancient and forgotten youth elixir, made specifically for the Locke clan by Castor, one of the Human leaders from the Interplanetary War. She did, and she took it, so now she remains…she remains here to protect you from being in the Being's grasp once more. If they managed to take you then they would brainwash you. You and all your extraordinary powers and abilities would then be at their disposal. Only the Moon Maiden Artemis may stop them if you are under her safeguard, but you must also be strong and protect her from them, or any other threat that may befall her."

"I will," pledged Zeth.

"That is not even half of it. Shut up and listen while I tell you.

"All right, all right."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

"…"

"Anyhow, it is much more convoluted than just that. The Beings think that they, as a superior level species than Humans, will be able to manipulate the Messiah in some way, enabling them to achieve supremacy. The linkage between them and Artemis is so complicated that if I were to explain it to you now in explicit detail, you still would not comprehend the concept.

"The Beings want to have you in their power, but that is not how you first learned about your mission, is it? The stars, who are actually some of the lesser Divine Ones watching over the creatures, granting favors and talents to their favorites, had notified the Moon Maiden Artemis of a subsidiary problem to be resolved, leaving out the other much more important parts. But basically, yes, the eight warriors do all need to be assembled to build the barrier, which if not built then will result in the Destruction of your current home planet. If the barrier is not built, the Destruction in your body will be triggered, and you will be the cause of the entire obliteration of this planet, not any creature from another dimension like the Moon Maiden Artemis believes. It's not just that, though. The eight warriors will also need to be present at the Messiah, to welcome the coming of the Ultimate Blessing of the Universe. Once the time comes, their roles will be revealed. In each warrior of Mage, all the strongest magic power of their own type is concentrated within their souls, giving them supreme power, making them superior to the Beings.

"The final battle between the Humans and the Beings must be settled before the Messiah, or else the universe will be proven unworthy of preservation, and then all is lost. The eight warriors of Mage are also needed to fight the Beings. Whether you defeat them or not completely depends on you and your willpower, but you will also need to achieve exceptionally superior levels of magic. Finally, the last reason of your existence is that something involving you will occur during the Messiah. Zeth, you must be strong…and remember, no matter what you lose, the one thing that you should never allow yourself to lose is hope, for no one can live and succeed without hope."

"Why have you told me all this?" Zeth asked softly. "Although I sincerely do appreciate knowing. What I really need to know is why the Ultima magic somehow transformed into Destruction magic."

"Destruction is simply a higher level of Ultima, and more powerful as well. Castor and Illius worked together to formulate Ultima so nothing as dangerous as Destruction would exist, but Destruction finally resurfaced itself in you. You no longer wield Ultima, but now it is Destruction that you have control of, which is dangerous, for that is the magic that the Beings want to make use of. It seems like…the Being ancestry of your soul is causing the Destruction magic to emerge after all these years."

"…So I'm just supposed to take all this in and thank you, even though I have no idea whom you are and you have not once showed yourself to me," Zeth remarked.

"I can not show myself to you, for you are still mortal. The brilliance of my immortality would destroy you. All I can say is that I am an immortal whom has been watching over your soul since the beginning of time."

"You're a…Divine One?" Zeth discerned, amazed. Then his expression turned into a smirk. "Your brilliance will destroy me, eh?"

"Don't get smart with me, Zeth. You can't even begin to fathom the extent of my powers. Just consider yourself fortunate that you have a Divine One watching over you…as well as the Moon Maiden Artemis."

"Her name is not 'the Moon Maiden Artemis'," Zeth snapped. "Her name is Zaria…or Rynn."

"We shall see exactly who she is in due course. For now…return to your friends, and leave Tenebatos as soon as possible."

"Wait!" Zeth cried, as a small sandstorm appeared in the distance and began to travel towards him. "How do we get out of Tenebatos?"

"First you must collect three jewels, which are all hidden in the bodies of the Guardian Jewels of Tenebatos, which you can only obtain by defeating them. After that you must collect the final jewel, the Crystal of Tenebatos. The Kogs shall know where it is, and I understand that you have a Kog traveling with you. Then you must find the warping machine, which is in the main citadel, where the ancient Being royalty resided. Once you are in the main citadel, go to the West Wing, where the Chamber of the Setting Sun is located. To the left of the Chamber of the Setting Sun is a corridor, and when you go down that corridor it will seem like it is a dead end, but if you inspect the floor, there is a small trapdoor. Open that and climb down, and there you'll find the warping device. After that, place all the crystals in the appropriate slots and then you can warp yourselves to the capital city of Torus."

"Thank you so much," Zeth said gratefully.

"Do you even know what to do once you're at Ptero?"

"Not really, except find the Royal Twins of Torus and show them the letter from Queen Trisha," Zeth replied.

"And you think that that is all it takes?"

"Well, what else am I to do?" Zeth asked exasperatedly. "Would you please let me return to the real world now?"

"All right, I will, after all, the Moon Maiden Artemis is wondering where your consciousness is. Return to her now, and do not forget your duty. You may or may not tell the others what the Messiah is all about, for they will find out in due course anyway, but I suggest that if you do tell them, then you should do it after you have the eighth warrior assembled in your group."

"Thank you," said Zeth vaguely, gazing down at his sword. "By the way…you said that you are a Divine One, right?"

"Yes."

"Could you explain to me a little bit more about the Divine Ones?" Zeth asked, his curiosity roused.

"Why do you wish to know?"

Zeth shrugged. "I dunno...just wanna know."

"All right then, for now I will tell you the basics of it, and maybe some other time I will tell you the rest, of how we came to be. Us Divine Ones are the gods that are the roots of Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, Norse mythology, Mayan mythology, Celtic mythology, Welsh mythology, Hinduism, Aztec gods, etc. We are all. We are what all those mythologies originated from."

"I see," Zeth said. "Um…then which god are you?"

"…I think that it's better that you don't know my name now…but I will tell you what I am the god of, so you may understand a little better why I have favored you and the Moon Maiden Artemis since the beginning of time. I am…the guardian of stars and reincarnation."

"The guardian of stars and reincarnation?"

"Yes. Bye for now, Zeth."

Rena sat up and stretched, feeling refreshed. She yawned loudly and smoothed her hair down. Her glowing green eyes flashed in the small, dark, damp cave. Logan, she thought. Logan would never return to her…his brainwashed personality always seemed to take over. She blinked, remembering how he had momentarily returned when Aya was in control. Rena had wanted to cry out, to reach out to him, ready to forgive, but alas, Aya had not allowed her that privilege. Then Logan had been overtaken again. She hoped that inside his body, he was continuing to fight for the right to be himself. In a way, we're similar, she thought. Logan, both you and I are sharing our bodies with other personalities, but the difference is, I'm stronger than you are. Be strong, Logan.

"Aya," she said. "Where are we going today?"

_To Tenebatos,_ Aya replied internally.

"Tenebatos!" Rena exclaimed. "The abandoned Being headquarters! Does that place still even exist?"

_Yes, and we have business there…some individuals who can assist us are there._

"Who?"

_The Warriors of Mage._

"Zeth, wake up," Zaria wailed. "Please, wake up already…the others are waiting for us! We can't go on without you, Zeth. You're our leader!"

She sat on the floor right outside of the tower that they had battled in, cradling Zeth's upper body in her arms and slowly rocking back and forth. The others were resting after their long and tiring battle, their tents and sleeping bags set up.

"Zaria, come in and sleep whenever you want," Cat had told her before entering her shared tent. The others had said nothing, but there was an understanding between them all. Zaria was the one who could protect Zeth. It was her duty. She would bring him back.

"Zeth…" Zaria murmured in a squeaky voice, rocking him harder. Finally she ceased the movement and sat there completely still.

She looked at him, so weak and helpless in her arms. Suddenly, Zeth stirred slightly.

"Zeth…Zeth? Zeth!"

Zeth opened his eyes and gazed at Zaria. Her eyes were full of apprehension, gazing down upon him. "Thank you for returning," she whispered, the words struggling to come out of her tightened throat in a strangled tone. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. Zeth looked up at her and raised his hand and stroked her cheek.

"I promised I wouldn't leave you," Zeth said softly, as a tear slowly slid down her cheek. He wiped her tear away. "Don't cry. I'm back now…nothing bad has happened, but I have been enlightened."

Zaria lifted her head slightly. "…What?"

Zeth looked away. How was he to explain it to her? How was he to explain to her the confusion situation is which they were all in which was much, much more than just a final reckoning between the Humans and the Beings? How was he to explain the Messiah? Everything that they had been through…and all that they would have to go through…

He turned back to her, gazing in those deep sparkling pools of green, which were staring at him almost pleadingly. Oh, how much he cared about her! If he told her the whole story, and then she felt pained and hurt…no, he wasn't going to do that to her. Yet…he needed to be the one to tell her the truth, for he didn't her to be misinformed later on…and if she ever found out what important news he was keeping from her, then she would be even more hurt.

He took Zaria into his arms, and held her closely, a small, unseen tear escaping out of the corner of his eye. Zaria, Zaria, he thought. No one would ever pull them apart or break their bond. No one. Except for him, if he was stupid or foolish enough to unwittingly do so. Should he tell her? Should her tell her that a major portion of the welfare of the universe rested upon their shoulders? Should he tell her that his very existence…depended upon her protection? Of course, if the Beings managed to seize control over his mind, he would still physically exist…but Zeth Lanier would be gone.

"Zaria…don't let go of me…please," he whispered.

She pulled away and looked at him. "Zeth," she started, "how could you ever doubt me? Don't lose faith in the world…and people who love you."

"I know," he replied, "but I can't help being afraid…Zaria, I have something to tell you…but I think that I should tell everyone."

"What is it, Zeth?" Zaria asked in alarm. "What happened to you…just now? Tell me!"

"Wait, I've decided to tell you all at the same time. Let's just go to sleep now."

He stood up and walked towards the tent. He looked back at Zaria, who was looking at him with her beautiful green eyes full of annoyance and confusion. He was too confused himself to deal with anything else now. He knew that it was selfish…but everyone was entitled to be selfish once in a while, weren't they? He ignored the probing look on her face and lifted the flap of the tent and crawled inside.

Zaria simply sat there while Zeth had pulled his arms away from her and had left her alone outside in the cold. Yes, he was Zeth…returned to her once more, but as was every time he was taken from her and then restored, his eyes lost a bit of their aqua innocence each time. It was as if he knew forbidden things, information that would shatter the world if it was known and make even the Divine Ones tremble in their shoes. Zaria shut her eyes, blocking the tears that were threatening to spill. Why was she crying, yet again? There was no reason to cry. She should've been happy.

Yet…she felt like now, although she and her friends were all close…it would not last. She stood up and stared at the queer Tenebatos night sky. During dusk, the sky here seemed to take on an eerie tint of red throughout the whole sky, making Zaria think of all the blood that was spilled during the Interplanetary War. It was as if the blood of all those innocent people and brave warriors had been spread and smeared across the sky, forever cursing this land as a land of bereavement. Princess Louvia and Prince Claude had told her of the real world and the illusion that everyone was currently living in, and how the real world could only be achieved when the universe was purified of all evil…and everyone was happy. The true reality would never come. She felt a rush go through her, and the anger towards whoever had burdened her with this terrible fate coursed through her veins.

She looked up into that eerie sky, tears coursing down her cheeks. "Why! Why have you bestowed this burden upon me! What have I done wrong! What has Cat done wrong? What have Breanna and Fuuko done wrong! What have Zack, Adrian and Zitan done wrong? What has the Ice Warrior done wrong! What has Zeth done wrong…why must we be the ones to fix the mistakes of all our ancestors?"

The Beings…the humans…the Interplanetary War…the entire world's history…and the entire world's future. Zaria knew very well that the Beings, if given absolute power, would dictate the human world and could make everyone's lives a living hell. It would truly be hell on earth. She had read from the stars that the only reason for building a barrier around the Black Hole was simply to test the powers of the Eight Warriors of Mage, to test if they had enough strength the build a strong barrier with high-class magic such as what would be needed. If they couldn't…then there was absolutely no way that they could defeat the Beings. If they could…then there was a slight chance. Look at Masamune, for example. It had taken a massive effort from all of them to defeat Masamune, and he was only one Being, albeit one of the powerful ones, but he couldn't have been that proficient, for Miefe had sent Masamune to Earth alone, dangerously risking Masamune's life. There were many more obstacles to overcome, beginning with simply finding the way out of Tenebatos!

Zaria sighed. For most people, although life was hard for everyone, life seemed so much simpler. You grew up, got an education, developed your personality and took your place in the world, found a job, found a spouse, had children and grew old. Some people had been special, doing great services for the world, such as Castor, Illius and Zelda, and the brave warriors during the Mage war like Galen. But for her and her group of friends who were the Mage warriors…life had so much more twists and turns and there was so much pressure to succeed.

"I should be a character in some epic tale, not a real person," she muttered, fingering her moonstone that hung in a chain around her neck along with the ring Zeth had given her. Zaria walked towards the tent and took off her boots. Her long hair fell down towards her face as she leaned forward to pull off the boots. She brushed it back and stood up straight. She picked up one of her grimy boots, worn from use, and turned it over in her hand. As she inspected it, the heel broke off.

"Oh, no," she moaned softly, trying to put the heel back on, but with no success. Zaria sighed. She would have to get a new pair of boots. Zaria put her boots down and stepped back into the tent and rummaged around in their supplies for an extra pair of boots. She found a pair and then left them by her clothing and went to sleep, preparing for another day of tiredness and fighting. Zaria promptly fell asleep due to how exhausted she was. It had indeed been a long day.

In the dark of the night and in the darkness of the tent, there was a shuffling sound, and the sound of breaking glass, as if a spell bottle had just been broken. Zitan sat up and squinted, as his normally green eyes turned a bright shade of yellow, glowing in the dark like a cat's. He spied his sister on the opposite side of the tent, and slowly made his way over to her. When he reached Zaria, he sat down next to where she lay and laid his hand on her cheek. He bent over, his face right above hers. "Zaria, I would never make you cry like he did," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair away from her sleeping face. "Zaria…" he moaned. "How I wish we weren't brother and sister…"

His eyes narrowed. "The true Tide is not him, it is-" a hand slapping the side of his head cut him off. He dropped Zaria to the ground, and she abruptly opened her eyes, startled.

"Zitan?" she said groggily, her eyes focusing on his face. Zitan turned around to face his surprise attacker and was shocked to find himself facing Breanna, her eyes fiery with anger.

Zaria sat up promptly. "Zitan, Breanna, what are you doing here? Bree, why do you look so mad?"

Zitan was speechless, and looked fearfully over at Breanna. Breanna pasted a fake smile on her lips. "Uh, Zaria, well I was just on my way to the bathroom, and apparently Zitan was as well, because I happened to trip over him, and he tripped over you," she lied.

Breanna glanced over at Zitan, who had a grateful look on his face. She scowled at him. "In any case, Zaria, sorry to wake you. Just go back to sleep, because I have something to talk about with Zitan."

Zaria nodded slyly, her eyes filled with understanding of what she thought was going on. "Hee, hee, okay. You two just go outside and do whatever and I'll see you both tomorrow morning. Just make sure you sleep soon, for we have a long day tomorrow!" She lay back down with a satisfied grin on her face.

Zitan shamefully turned to Breanna, who immediately grabbed his forearm and pulled him out of the tent. As soon as they were outside, Breanna let go and whirled towards him. "What were you thinking?" she demanded angrily.

"I-"

"Shut up," she interjected. "I was on my way to the bathroom, and what I heard was one of the most sacrilegious things in the whole damn world, and let me tell you what a damned world we live in. It's one of the most screwed-up places in the universe! What the hell were you thinking?" she exclaimed, her voice rising.

"Bree, calm down and quiet down," Zitan pleaded. "Just give me a chance to explain-"

"Don't 'Bree' me!" Breanna flared. "And explain? How the hell do you explain a blasphemy like that? That was one of the most disgusting, crazy things that I have ever heard! What the hell did you think you were talking about?"

Zitan rushed through each option in his head, deciding what to tell Breanna.

"Don't even think about lying to me," Breanna said evenly. "Tell me the truth, and then maybe I won't tell anyone what you've said. Do you know what Zack and Adrian will do to you if they find out? Don't even get me started on how Zeth will react. You might have had doubts but you shouldn't express them in such a way…"

Zitan hung his head shamefully. "Breanna, sometimes…sometimes people feel things that they're not supposed to feel…"

Breanna flinched, thinking of her own situation. Tears of frustration filled her eyes. "Yes, I do understand that, but that gives you no reason to act on your feelings when you know that your actions are wrong!"

Zitan looked up at her with a questioning look on his face. Breanna sighed and looked away. "Yes…I do have some strange feelings towards Zeth," she admitted, and then she snapped her head back towards Zitan. "But I have never betrayed Zaria's trust by uttering blasphemy such as you have," she finished, her eyes narrowed. "I have exercised self-control, a very important quality in the world in which we live in."

"I didn't quite realize what I was doing," Zitan admitted, twisting his fingers. "But…Breanna…I think…that…I love…my sister…in a way that a brother is not supposed to love a sister," he blurted. "I don't know why…this isn't natural, Breanna! You have to help me! Sometimes…I feel like I'm possessed…like someone else is inside me!" he cried.

Breanna shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "Oh, Zitan, Zitan," she muttered. "How awful is the fate of those of us who love those we are not supposed to love." She opened her eyes, the icy glare somewhat melting.

"Zitan…why do you love her?"

Zitan looked fearfully at Breanna, tears brimming in his eyes. "She…she's my sister, I know, but she's one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I've never known anyone with so much strength, and I don't mean physically, but I mean in matters of the heart. She's so selfless, yet delightfully selfish at times. I don't know how to explain it, but sometimes I just want to take her in my arms and hold her there. When I see how much she cares about Zeth…and how much he hurts her without knowing it, just by not being there…it makes my heart ache, Bree. My heart aches for her. The truth is, Breanna, she's my twin sister. Which makes it even worse, I know."

Breanna's eyes were wide with shock. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Zitan cast his eyes downward and shook his head. "I couldn't bring myself to, because I-I'm afraid."

"Why?"

"Because…you know what they say about twins…that they were lovers in their past lives…"

"What?"

Zitan looked away and then looked back at Breanna. "Bree, I don't know what's going on…I see things sometimes…as General Tide."

"But Zeth is…is General Tide!" Breanna exclaimed.

"Exactly! That's why I'm so confused about what's going on in my head…all the chaos I feel…I really don't know, Breanna."

Breanna shook her head in disbelief. "Impossible…Zitan…you have to be kidding…are you serious?"

Zitan nodded. "Anyhow, I can't let the others know, because if I were to admit now that I lied then, then they all would forfeit their trust in me, and that's the last thing I need. I'm sorry, Bree, but I can't help what I feel, and I know you can't either. People can only control themselves to a certain level. Don't think we all don't see when you gaze at Zeth with that tortured look on your face. Even Zaria sees it, but she's too kind to say anything. Don't say anything about it, because I know you know. Just answer me, Breanna."

Breanna shook her head sadly, and handed a handkerchief to Zitan, who started wiping away his tears. "Some people might have been disgusted to hear that…but that is one of the most heartfelt things that I've ever heard," she whispered. She held out her arms to Zitan, who stepped into her embrace like a lost little boy looking for his mother. She stroked his soft, silky tousled hair, the hair that was the same color and texture as the hair of the girl that he esteemed. "Zitan, my heart now aches for you…but I can't help you in any way, except tell you that there is no hope. Zitan, she is your sister. She has a special loved one, a wonderful person who has loved her in her past life as well. As for your imaginings…try to forget them, please. You don't even know if they're real recollections or simply wishful dreams. She's happy with who she's with now. You don't want to make her unhappy, do you, Zitan?"

"No," Zitan sobbed on Breanna's shoulder. "No. That's why I've never told anyone…and never showed any signs of affection towards her that aren't brotherly. Never told anyone about my dreams."

Breanna sighed and pulled away. "Zitan Locke, I don't know whether to cry along with you or slap you and call you a fool, which in fact you are."

"I've never hoped to have anything as wonderful as to have Zaria love me back in ways other than a sister," Zitan continued. "Just loving her, being near her, hearing her, seeing her…that's enough for me. Tonight…what happened…I don't know…I lost authority of myself."

Breanna sighed again. "Well…Zitan, I won't tell anyone about what I saw."

"Thank you so much, Bree-"

"If," Breanna interrupted, "you promise to never mention this again. Not to me or to anyone else. Things like this are best forgotten."

"Yes, Bree. Thank you so much…and I'm sorry, for making you lie to the others. It pains me just as much-"

"I know," Breanna muttered, a pained look on her face. "Men. Even at the young age of eighteen, you're all so weak. Just go to sleep now Zitan, and don't even think about Zaria or General Tide and Rynn tonight. Just go."

Zitan nodded obediently and quietly reentered the tent, leaving Breanna outside the tent, staring at his back.

As soon as she heard him shuffling about no more, she broke into loud sobs, which wracked her entire body. She had lost her chance for anything between Zitan and herself. Couldn't he tell that after her heartbreaking ordeal with Zeth, she had turned to him for comfort? Yes, he knew that, and he had been the kindest person to her that she had known. And she had begun to feel affection towards him. When she had heard what he had said to his sleeping sister, it had almost smashed her already fragile heart completely. She had swallowed her pain and walked up to him and slapped him, and when she had slapped him, she felt like she had been slapping herself in the face. What a fool she had been!

"No…one…can ever love me," she cried out into the eerie red sky of Tenebatos. She fell to the ground, inwardly slapping herself for her foolishness of caring about everyone who had shown kindness towards her. People were insincere and pretentious towards her. She crawled over to a nearby stream, where she managed to calm herself down and wash her face in the running water. She looked at her reflection in the stream, outlined by the eerie redness of the Tenebatos night sky. The lovely face staring back at her was streaked with tears, the wetness making her face glisten. Breanna looked up at the sky, and reached up her hand, stretching it up as far as she could.

"…"

Princess Star gazed at her sleeping twin brother fondly. How sweet and gentle he looked while asleep, as well as while he was awake. He was one of the most beautiful, sweet-looking young men in the land of Torus and there was not one young maiden who didn't wish that he would come upon her as her knight in shining armor and ask her to marry him.

She leaned over him, her soft curls brushing over his shoulder, and kissed her brother on the cheek.

"Soon, Sky, soon," she told him. "They are coming for you soon. Then you will have to leave me here, but that's all right. As long as you can save yourself…"

She knew that he couldn't hear her, but she sat down next to her twin and began telling him all that she knew about what was going to happen to their lives, how she had foreseen her own death.

"And no matter what, despite all the times that you have played tricks on me, I love you more than anyone in the world, and I will watch over you in heaven," she finished. Her beautiful twin continued to sleep soundly. Princess Star smiled at her twin and touched his cheek gently. She went over to a corner of her brother's private suite, and sat down and recorded all that she had told her brother.

"One day, you must know all of this, Sky," she muttered as she wrote. Her slender, pale hands shook slightly from a draft that was coming in from the balcony, but the Princess ignored it. She felt exhausted and weary, but continued to write. "I can not help you in any other way, for I am dying, but I can help you by letting you know all this," Princess Star whispered, half to herself, half to Prince Sky. She relentlessly continued to write, even though her hand was tired and her vision was blurry. She coughed, dropping the pen she was writing with.

She coughed hoarsely into her hand, her whole body being wracked by the coughing fits, and when the spasms had ceased and she had removed her hand, she saw that her hand was covered with crimson blood. "Oh, no," she gasped, and rushed over to the bathroom as quickly as she could. She gripped the sink with her other hand for support as she washed the blood off. She looked up into the mirror, at her diminutive, delicate face with dainty features framed by a soft nimbus of wavy silvery blue hair. Many a time people had said that she looked like a sweet angel, and that had become Sky's nickname for her. "Angel," she said aloud. How different it sounded when Sky said it. When she said it…it sounded like a frail, insignificant dying angel. She slowly trudged back to her desk, her small frame sagging. She was so sickly and weak.

"Why couldn't I have been strong and healthy, like Sky?" she murmured to no one in particular. She wouldn't cry – she had beyond passed that stage of hopelessness. No, she would be strong, and continue to help her brother in the only way she could…although she knew her date of death. She sat back down at her desk, and for the next two hours wrote about everything nonstop, only pausing once in a while to think about what to write next.

As soon as she had finished, Princess Star stood up and walked towards the balcony in their room. In her whole royal life, there had been no companions to her but her brother. Not a single female friend to chat with about the happenings in her life, not a single boy she had ever seriously liked. Of course, she had had an infinitesimal crush on Prince Luke of Northern Nova after he had visited Torus on business, but truly, the only real companion she had known was her brother. When she and Prince Sky walked along the streets of Torus, no girl had ever attempted to talk to her, or had even looked at her, for all of their eyes were glued on the handsome prince, whose loveliness surpassed even many of the courtesans. No one paid attention to the petite, fragile looking Princess when the lovely-faced Prince was around.

Luckily for her, her twin was as devoted to her as anyone could ever be towards his or her sister. He was greatly protective of her, and fluttered about her like a butterfly whenever she fell ill. He paid no mind to the attractive young girls of Torus, all of whom expressed an ample amount of fascination in him, but he only cared for his delicate, sickly sister. Some had even whispered that the dazzling Prince might be uninterested in females completely, but Star knew that her brother wasn't. She remembered the times when she had reminisced about the past and discussed the future with her twin, and remembered when Sky would look wistfully at his namesake and talk about performing great deeds for the world.

Star had never told him when he was conscious, but he was indeed destined for a life of greatness, whereas she was destined for…nonexistence. She was like a forgotten brittle commodity that would one day evaporate completely, only leaving behind her twin brother whom everyone adored. She walked back to her brother, struggling not to cry from what she knew was inevitable. She lay down next to him, something she hadn't done in years, and fell asleep next to her beloved brother.

That next morning, she didn't wake up. Her eyes were wide open, and the stormy gray in them seemed to have cleared up and taken on a divine shining silver color. Her normally soft pink lips were pale and had taken on a wan shade of purplish-pink. Her soft, smooth pale skin had lost its slight golden glow and seemed to take on a silver glow instead, although her flesh had already stiffened. The chambermaids whispered that the Divine Ones must have taken pity on the angelic, sickly princess and had finally decided to take her as one of the lesser Divine Ones.

Prince Sky moaned and cried for his beloved twin sister, and pleaded for her to awaken, but all was to no avail. The quiet, good-hearted, delicate princess of Torus was gone forever.

"Next, we have to go there and do what I just said," Zeth said, after he had finished explaining everything to all his comrades. He cast his eyes down. "I know it's a lot to take, but I thought you all should know. We…have a great destiny, and the path that we must take is set out right before us. It's up to us whether we reach the end or not. Is…this all right with everyone? Are you all with me?"

They all slowly nodded one by one. They had humble expressions on their face, accepting their fate. Breanna's eyes were swollen, but she claimed that it was because of lack of sleep, although for some reason Cat didn't quite believe her when she said that.

"Zitan, I know that you're not a Mage warrior, but you've been a great help to us all, and I would appreciate it greatly – we all would – if you continued to travel with us."

Cat saw Zitan's eyes turn a lighter green and he momentarily shifted his eyes away guiltily, and she wondered why. She saw Zeth furrow his brow in confusion, but then he look questioningly at Zitan. He seemed to be speechless. He turned back to them, his eyes restored to their normal color. Cat shifted her eyes to Breanna, who was sitting next to Zitan. Her expression looked strained, for some queer reason.

"No problem, Zeth," Zitan croaked, quickly glancing at Breanna. After replying Zeth he immediately shifted his gaze to the floor. Cat noticed that Zitan seemed to be avoiding everyone's probing looks except for Breanna's. She turned to Zack, who sat next to Adrian and Zaria, and he shrugged. Cat lifted her eyebrows and grudgingly brought her attention back to what Zeth was saying.

"-So now, let's go and find the next Jewel, and defeat it so we can be a step closer to finding Ptero!" Zeth said enthusiastically. His expression became dejected when no one replied. "You don't look so happy," he said faintly.

Zack then laughed and slapped his back. "Of course we are. Give us five minutes and we'll all be ready to travel."

Everyone stood up and scattered, going in different directions, but Cat noticed that Zitan lingered. She stopped walking and watched him, following his gaze. He was facing Zeth and Zaria.

Zeth had walked over to the side, and was shaking his head and saying something. Zaria had followed him and patted him on the back. He turned around to face her and she looked up into his eyes. He looked weak and vulnerable, even from afar. Zaria hugged him, and he seemed to wilt in her embrace, and Cat was sure that she could spy a small tear leaking out of his right eye. She didn't blame him for feeling like he needed a shoulder to cry on; what he had been through was pretty profound. It was so far off that Cat didn't really quite believe that it was going to happen…but then again, maybe it would. She would see how things went.

She transferred her gaze back to Zitan, who was still staring at Zeth and Zaria, his eyes full of…well whatever it was, it sure was intense. His eyes had again taken on that light shade of green that had been in his eyes earlier. It made his gaze look even more penetrating and determined. Cat shook her head and walked away in fluid, quick steps, bursting to tell Fuuko what she had just seen, although she knew she should keep it to herself.

What Cat didn't notice was Breanna, who was standing a little farther off, her lucid gray eyes looking more shadowy than usual, cast in Zitan's direction. Her expression was pained, but luckily, the puffiness of her eyes hid any signs of sadness, although they were considerably darker.

They slowly trudged on towards the large dome in the center of Tenebatos, where Kupo Kog had told them the second Jewel was waiting. At every impassable point, Zaria's moonbeams would appear and the moonlight bridges would form, enabling them to pass, although it was kind of scary, seeing as under your feet was a translucent swirling layer of moonlight. On their way to the dome they encountered many small and large monsters trying to hinder them, creations of the Beings left there to guard the abandoned city.

"Damn, there are so many damn fiends here!" Zack complained, expertly spearing a monster that had sneaked up behind him. He turned around to see the wretched creature fall to the ground, dead. "Almost feel guilty, ridding the world of all this trash," he said, shaking his head. Zaria and Cat looked away in disgust.

"Not a very pretty sight," Fuuko observed, leaning over the carcass. She reached down and touched the viscous yellow liquid dripping from the wound with her fingers.

"What is this, some kind of blood?" She held her hand up, inspecting it. The yellow liquid was slimy, yet seemed to have an iridescent glow.

Zitan brought over a Sense spell and quickly cast it over the liquid. "It has a sticky consistency," he observed. "The sense spell says that this is indeed the blood of the Being-made creature. It has pretty high health power."

He turned to Zack. "Zack, you are getting pretty powerful. Before, when we started out, it would have taken you many more strikes to kill this creature, whereas this time you killed it in one blow." As Zack puffed up in pride, Zitan continued to speak. "The blood is made out of a special formula of magic cells and DNA, which were genetically designed in one of the top Being labs." He gave a sideways glance towards the others. "And we all know how advanced the Beings are compared to us."

"Maybe we all don't," Cat said, sounding slightly miffed.

Adrian sighed. "Cat, look at the magical/scientific technology around this place. And this whole damn place was constructed over 10,000 years ago! Think of how advanced the Beings must be now."

Cat was silent. Zeth gestured for Zitan to continue.

"Well, anyhow, these Beings constructed this certain type of blood…which immortalizes the creatures that have the blood running through their veins –or at least halts the aging process." Zitan looked up. "That's why Miefe is still alive, along with many other prominent Beings."

Zaria turned to Zeth, whose eyes seemed to glaze over. His gaze seemed blank, and he was staring in the direction of Fuuko's fingers, where there was still some of the blood.

"That's how these monsters have survived all these years," Breanna muttered.

"I can't believe that we haven't heard about this before now," Adrian said, amazed. "This knowledge is…extremely dangerous. It can enable people to live forever! We should never let the nature of this Being-constructed blood be known. If our world does survive…this is the next biggest threat."

"What the hell you talking about, saying 'if our world does survive'! Of course we're all gonna survive! Don't go around cursing us all by saying we're not gonna survive! None of us are gonna die, ya hear?" Zack shouted, a sudden burst of anger going through him. Adrian's features darkened, and his face resembled the way he looked in his vampire form.

"I didn't say that," he said quietly. He morphed into his vampire form, and spread his wings in an almost threatening way. His milk-white fangs jutted out from his soft, gentle lips. Cat turned around and ran up to him. "Adriana, don't get out of control," she warned him jokingly. Adrian was silent, but his blood-red eyes flashed eerily.

"Adrian, what are you doing?" Fuuko cried in alarm, quickly wiping the yellow goop off her fingers. She rushed over to Adrian and seized him by the shoulders. "Oh no, he's doing it again!" she cried.

"What? What is he doing?" Cat asked, her eyes wide with fear. Zeth seemed to wake from his momentary trance, and Adrian's eyes seemed to glaze over.

"He's gone berserk!" Fuuko cried, lightly smacking Adrian's handsome face. "Adrian! Snap out of it! It's only a damn magic spell! You can defeat it with your own willpower!"

"What's wrong with him?" Zeth demanded, pushing his way over to Adrian. Adrian's head rolled back and he slumped into Zeth's arms.

"The freak is cracking," Breanna muttered in her usual crude fashion. Cat overheard and turned to Breanna and slapped her across the face.

"I'm sorry, Bree, you can't keep saying these sorts of things about him!" she shouted, the tears stinging her eyes. "Adrian is not a freak! He is someone special, and he cares about people! Something's happened to him, and we have to help him, not scorn him! I know you care about him Breanna, for you helped him when we were battling Sapphire. Don't start being your bitchy self at a time like this!"

Breanna stared at Cat, her light gray eyes turning so light that they seemed transparent. She turned away, her hand still on her cheek. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper.

Cat softened. "I'm really sorry, Breanna, I spoke too harshly," she said gently. She quickly turned back to Adrian, who was still unconscious. She turned to Zeth in panic.

"Zeth, do something!" she cried. Zitan walked up to Adrian and cast a status-purifying spell, and finally Adrian came to. His eyes were still red, but they weren't so full of raw abhorrence as they were before. Adrian blinked.

"Oh man, why do those spells affect only me?" he groaned, smacking his hand up towards his head.

Fuuko turned to the others. "Well, I guess now you all know that Adrian is the only one among us who is vulnerable against the Berserk spell," she said, shrugging. "Can't be helped, except that I think we should stock up on those status-purifying spells once we reach Ptero."

Zaria glanced over at Adrian, who was breathing heavily. His fists were clenched, and his lips were tightened into a thin white line. He shut his eyes and breathed deeply, holding a bottle of healing elixir to his lips. Cat was supporting him as he slowly recovered. He opened his eyes and smiled, transforming back into his human form, his translucent ruby eyes turning back to their normal hazel shade. His fangs shrunk into his mouth and his skin darkened greatly. He turned to Cat with a grateful look on his face.

She smiled and held her arms out. He gazed at her with a puzzled expression. She held out her arms wider, emphasizing her intention.

"Oh sheesh, just hug her already, will you?" complained Zack, pushing Adrian from behind. He stumbled into Cat's arms, almost knocking her over. He took a step backwards, balancing himself, and then found himself staring into her dark, mysterious eyes that seemed out of place on that bright and cheery face. She brushed wisps of her violet locks out of her eyes and looked up at him, a grin on her face.

The others watched in amusement as Adrian and Cat continued to stand there, gazing at each other.

"What are they doing?" Fuuko whispered to Zitan. He shrugged and then shushed her. The moment of silence continued.

Zaria turned to Zeth, who turned his head to gaze at her out of the corner of his eye. He smiled slightly, a knowing glint in his bright blue-green eyes.

Finally, Cat broke the silence. "I'm hungry."

Adrian's face flushed bright red, even though her comment was irrelevant. He cast his eyes downward, almost as if he didn't dare to look at her. The others continued to watch, riveted. It was basically an awkward situation. There had not been much romantic activity going on between them all, so this was a rare sight to see. Zeth and Zaria were another story, and even they never seemed to do anything except focus on their mission.

Disappointing everyone, Adrian turned away quickly and walked off in the other direction, his face still burning. "I think we should go now," he said wryly, keeping his face turned away so no one could see how embarrassed he was. "We still have a ways to go before we can reach Ptero, and our time is limited. Anyhow, Cat is hungry."

"Awww, come on, man," complained Zack. He rolled his eyes and followed Adrian.

"Watch out!" Cat cried as another monster jumped down behind Zack. Zack turned around just as the monster was about to claw him and stuck his spear into its body. The yellow blood spurted out and went all over his face. "Yuck!" he exclaimed, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

Breanna barely had enough time to snicker before another monster charged towards them, lunging onto her back. She was knocked over on the floor with the monster still on her. It dug its claws into her back momentarily and then leaped off. She gasped in pain, the wind being knocked out of her. Zaria jumped up and clumsily clanged her swords together, distracting the monster. It charged towards her, growling. She quickly dodged out of the way as the monster was intercepted by Adrian's arrow, which swiftly lodged itself in the monster's side.

"Thank you," Breanna gasped as Zaria helped her up to her feet. Breanna brushed herself off and turned to Zaria, her eyes filled with mixed emotion. This girl had inadvertently taken everything she had most desired away from her.

"Stay on guard, everyone," Zeth instructed, taking note of Breanna's piercing gaze towards Zaria. He pointed upwards towards the dome. "The dome's only about one hundred meters away. We're almost there."

"Oh yeah, we're happily prancing towards our next playground with a harmless Being monster just waiting to play hide-and-seek with us," Zitan muttered derisively, his eyes that eerie lighter shade of green again.

"What's that?" asked Zaria, straining to hear. Zitan shook his head, trying to shake off that strange feeling that had encompassed him again.

"Nothing, nothing," he quickly replied, his eyes turning their normal shade of emerald green again. He turned away from Zaria, feeling more troubled than ever. What was happening to him? He felt like he was struggling to keep control over his actions and words. He wasn't himself. He turned back to Zaria and opened his mouth, ready to speak, when he was cut off by Kupo's shrill cry.

"This place is so scary!" Rena exclaimed aloud, gazing at the ancient Being city of Tenebatos. "Aya, will the Toki be able to track us down here?" she asked, now referring to herself and Aya as "us".

_I think so, but it will be hard for them to get here, _replied Aya._ The only way here besides the secret entrance that we came through is through a warping machine in Denzeling. They'll probably occupy the city for a while and force the royal family to lead them to the warping machine._

"What! But then…they'll terrorize the citizens of Denzeling!"

Aya shrugged internally. _We can't do much about it, Rena. Rena, you do know that Denzeling is-_

"Logan's true birthplace," Rena finished. "Yes, I know that. Logan was born in Denzeling, but his parents-"

_Rena, Logan's parents aren't who you think they are._

"What? What are you saying, Aya? Logan's parents are Logan's parents! Mr. and Mrs. Stonewall, the kindly people who always treated me as one of their daughters! What are you talking about, Aya? Tell me what you know, if you really think that you're right."

_Hmm…let me put it this way. Don't be too shocked, Rena. Logan's true brother is named Prince Thomas Luke the Second._

"WHAT? Are you saying that Logan is…?"

_He is the long-lost Crown Prince of Northern Nova. He is the son that King Rufus has been searching for; the son that King Rufus continues to believe is still alive._

"But he is still alive!" Rena exclaimed. "King Rufus is right! Maybe if his father knows where he is, he can gather troops and somehow save him from the Toki government! Aya, we have to find a way to let King Rufus know that Logan is under the influence of the Toki!"

_He will know soon, Rena. He will find out his son's whereabouts when the Toki attempts to capture us…because Prince Logan is traveling with the Toki officers who are going to Denzeling._

"He's going to be attacking his own kingdom!" Rena cried, shaking her head in disbelief. She buried her face in her hands. "Oh Divine Ones please don't let there be war between Logan and his father. Please!" She crumpled down in despair. This wasn't meant to be. Nothing was supposed to ever be this mixed up in life. Rena wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. "Aya, we have to do something. Isn't there something we can do? I can't just stay here knowing this and not doing anything!"

Aya was silent.

"Aya? Aya, are you there?" Rena asked, alarmed. There was no response. "Aya, you can't leave me alone here!" Rena cried.

_Wait here for five minutes, Rena. I'll be back in five minutes. Just wait here. I'll be right back._

Rena felt Aya's comforting presence slowly leaving her. "Wait!" Rena exclaimed, but Aya was gone.

"Crap!" Zack shouted as a white Jewel charged towards them. "How the #$ did that thing know we were coming?"

"I don't know!" Zeth shouted, "but we're going to have to fight it now, whether we're ready or not! Destruction Pulsar Wave!" Destruction magic flew towards the Jewel as Zeth struggled to stay on his feet from the impact. The Jewel shrieked in pain as the magic surrounded it and bathed it in its deadly magnificence.

"Tetra Flare!" Adrian shouted, and released three arrows towards the Jewel. The shafts flew around it and formed a ring of fire, trapping the creature. The Jewel howled and extended a gigantic claw out of the ring of fire, swinging it towards Breanna. Breanna barely managed to leap away as the claw swung by, but the claw struck Zack instead, violently sweeping him to the side off the path onto the side of the cliff they were on. The only thing that Zack was supported by was his fingertips, clutching the rocks tightly.

"Someone go get him!" Breanna shouted frantically. She was sprawled on the floor, her leg in an awkward position. She groaned as she tried to pull herself up again.

"Bree, your leg!" Cat cried, reaching out towards her friend. The grimace on Breanna's face was enough to show the pain that she was feeling.

"Never mind me, go get Zack!" Breanna yelled furiously as she struggled to drag herself out of battle range. Cat pumped her wings and shot off like a bullet in Zack's direction while the others were in the midst of a heated battle with the Diamond Jewel.

Zack looked up as his fingers slowly began slipping off the rocks he was grasping on to. Cat was still too far to come catch him if he let go. He nerved himself and swung his free arm that was holding his spear upwards, and lodged the spear into the rocks, ramming it in with all the strength he could possibly manage to put into an effort of one arm. Luckily, the spear was wedged in the rocks and Zack held onto the spear with both hands. He was exhausted from all the energy he had put in to ramming the spear into the cliff and was weakening every moment. "Cat," he called weakly. His grip was weakening considerably and he could feel his fingers slipping already…

Cat finally reached him and flew down to him and placed her arms around his waist, trying to support him. "Zack, you're going to have to let go of your spear," she ordered.

"No," he said weakly, but his limp fingers automatically released their grip and slid off. Cat used all her strength to heave Zack back up on the path and they simultaneously collapsed. As soon as Zack fell, he struggled to stand back up again, a look of panic on his face. "My spear!" he shouted, as Zaria ran over and cast her healing wind. He jumped up. "My spear!" he repeated, his eyes locked in the direction of which he had just come.

Cat spread her replenished wings and lofted herself into the air. "You two go help Breanna!" she shouted. "Zack, I'll get your spear!" She dove down the cliff and disappeared while Zack and Zaria hurried over to Breanna.

Breanna was moaning in pain and clutching her leg. "I broke it for sure this time," she groaned.

"Zack, set her leg in position while I heal it," Zaria instructed. Zack rushed to Breanna's side and held her leg properly as Zaria focused her healing magic on Breanna's leg. Breanna flinched, but it quickly healed.

"Thanks, let's go help the others!" Breanna exclaimed, leaping up towards the Diamond Jewel. "Earth Shaker!" she shouted, furiously casting her earth magic in obvious contempt.

Meanwhile, Cat was struggling to dislodge Zack's spear from the side of the cliff. All of a sudden the rocks trembled and the spear was loosened. Cat barely managed to snatch it and flew back upwards toward her friends.

Adrian summoned Ifrit, the guardian of fire, and a gigantic fireball was thrown towards the Jewel, scorching it and dealing a great deal of damage. It howled and whacked its claw in Adrian's direction, almost hitting him.

"Ha ha ha!" Adrian cried gleefully, pumping his wings as he moved away. He shot another three of his fiery arrows towards the Jewel, missing in all three of them. Breanna rolled her eyes yet again.

"Tornado!" Fuuko shouted, and the Diamond Jewel was swept up in a large swirling wind vortex. She turned to Zaria. "Finish it off now with Holy!" she instructed.

Zaria stepped up towards the Jewel and cast her Moon Holy Small spell, a spell that didn't use too much energy and was effective with enemies that mostly used brute force. The clouds above parted and a ray of moonlight shone through and went in directly inside the Jewel. The Diamond Jewel was eventually enveloped in the Holy magic and shrieked as its body gradually shrunk. Finally, it was no bigger than a miniscule monster and was cowering in front of Zeth. It growled and charged towards Zeth, scratching his arm, but Zeth swiftly retaliated by striking a fatal blow and it fell to the ground and slowly faded away, leaving no trace of existence, not even the sticky liquid that was its blood.

"Hey, where's the crystal it's supposed to leave?" asked Cat, staring at the spot where the Jewel had faded.

"Uh-oh, I think we weren't supposed to shrink the monster, Zaria. You might have caused the actual crystal we need to shrink so small it disappeared," Zack said, his eyes wide. There was a long pause and Zaria shook her head in disbelief. "No way! Oh no…you guys, I'm so sorry, I can't believe I actually-"

There was a thump and she abruptly stopped speaking and fell the floor, out cold. There was a clinking sound as a glittering white gem dropped beside her.

"The diamond!" Cat exclaimed, bending over to pick it up. She turned to Zaria. "Uh-oh, I think it landed on her little cranium," she said, giggling.

Zaria groaned and sat up, rubbing her head. "Something real hard hit me on the head-"

Her friends cut her off mid-sentence with their hysterical laughter. Zaria scowled and stood up petulantly, brushing herself off. She waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Fine, laugh all you want, but at least thanks to me we now have two of the three necessary crystals."

She flipped her hair and walked away, leaving the rest of them behind. Kupo squeaked and jumped in her arms, directing her towards the next Jewel.


	12. Chapter 12 Time of Trials

Time of Trials 

Prince Sky floated about as if in a dream, heedless of any others. He had not eaten for two days. His beautiful face was sallow and wan, and his silvery cerulean hair was dull and stringy. He had not been the same since he had discovered his twin sister dead. She had been lying next to him when he had finally fathomed the truth, cold, the life drawn out of her.

On the subsequent night, Prince Sky had had a very peculiar dream. He had dreamed about his parents whom he had not seen for at least a year. Star had been in his dream as well. The dream had felt so real, as if he were really there with them.

"Sky," she had said, "don't worry about us. You have an obligation to fulfill…I'll take care of Mother and Father, don't worry."

Sky had looked from Star to his parents. "But…now I'm alone…I'm alone."

Star's eyes had filled with tears as she gazed at her brother. "You're not alone, Sky. I'll always be here…and someday, Mother and Father will be able to return."

"What? You know where they are?" Prince Sky asked, his eyes dilating.

Star nodded. The tears spilled out of her resplendent eyes. "Yes, Sky, I know. Now I know much more than before, but I can't tell you much. I wish I could tell you everything so you could understand what's going on but you'll have to find out for yourself when the time comes. It's not going to be easy, Sky. It's not going to be easy at all. There will be times when you will feel like giving up, but those times are the times when you must gather up your pride and not allow yourself to give up. The fate of many depends upon your choices and actions."

Star had paused and smiled sweetly. "I want you to remember, my beautiful twin brother, that I will always be watching over you. You must never give up hope. It was the one virtuous entity that escaped from Pandora's Box."

Her image blurred slightly and faded bit by bit.

"Wait!" Sky cried, reaching out towards his sister. "Don't go yet! You can't leave me like this, Star! What do you mean about my choices determining the fates of many? Please, explain! I don't know what to do anymore…I'm lost, and alone! So lost…" Sky trailed off as Star's image disappeared completely.

He reached up to wipe the sweat off his brow and when he touched his face, he discovered that his cheeks were covered with tears. Had he obliviously been crying this whole time? He didn't know, but he knew that he didn't know what to do now.

Sky breathed heavily. After that he had begun his brooding about the palace, nobody daring to inquire about his condition. Yet now, he had been able to fathom nothing.

What had Star been talking about? Of course, as Regent of Torus his actions and decisions would affect the lives of many, but he had a feeling that was not the point that Star was trying to get to, because he had known that before. She was trying to tell him something else, something that only she could have known, for her intuitive powers were much stronger than his were.

Could she have known when she was still with him? How could he even know if she had known then? But if she hadn't told him what she knew in the dream…then she must have left some evidence somewhere. Somewhere, in a most obvious place so that he could find it.

Sky blatantly walked over to his desk, where there were many files strewn about. He shuffled through some papers, briefly scanning the components of each. Nothing he hadn't seen before. He heaved a sigh of exasperation and dropped the papers back down on the desk.

_Find it…find it…_

Sky jumped and turned around. There had just been a voice in his head speaking to him! And it wasn't Star's voice…it was soft and husky yet insistent. The voice filled him with an unanticipated sensation of longing.

_Find it._

Find it? Find what? Sky's heart pounded dully.

_Once you find it, everything will fit in._

Sky slowly nodded in understanding, comprehending what the voice was telling him. Whoever's voice that was wielded much power…power he didn't understand…but power enough to completely change his outlook and make his heart fill with a dull ache. He had to find something, something that would prove to be the key to unlocking Star's hidden message.

He went over to his secret drawer, which only he and Star knew about and opened it, sifting through his most precious belongings. Could Star have put the evidence in there? There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary in it. Sky's jaw was set taut in determination. He shoved the drawer shut and sighed. Sky looked upwards. _Please don't talk to me again,_ he implored the voice. _You make me feel so…uncertain of who I am._

_Look again where it most likely will be._

Sky's heart jumped again. He then furrowed his brow in thought. What could it be, and where would it be? He walked back to his desk and gathered up his files and looked slowly and carefully at every one of the covers. One of them was unlabeled. Sky put the rest of the files down and opened that one file. Inside were a whole bunch of unfamiliar documents, and one packet that had a royal seal of Torus on it.

This must be it, Sky thought. He brought the papers up to his face and inhaled deeply. Yes, there was definitely Star's scent lingering on the papers that she had sorted out for him to see.

Sky picked up the document with the magical royal seal on it, the one that ensured that only royalty could possibly open. He pressed his finger to it gently and it automatically faded away, the title of the document being revealed.

_"For My Twin Brother"_

The landscape remained constant and became repetitious after a long while of walking. Zeth periodically glanced back to make sure that all his comrades were keeping up, and once in a while someone would be lagging behind, the exhaustion getting to them.

"I'm so sick of walking around like this!" Cat griped, snapping her whip to the side. There was a squawk as a Being bird fell to the floor, dying. Cat whipped around and swiftly whipped another monster that was charging up behind her. It drew back and retaliated by throwing a fire spell towards Cat, but Adrian intercepted and absorbed the fire magic before it could hit her. "Thunder Strike!" Cat shouted, aiming her Thunder spell on the monster. A bolt of lightning violently struck it down and it landed on the ground with a thump. Cat turned back to Zeth.

"I'm so sick of fighting these monsters that look identical over and over again!"

Zeth shrugged. "At least you're the one winning all the battles, be appreciative about that at least."

Cat's mouth slowly formed into a pout. "Fine!" she whined. "But Zeth, I really want to hurry and find the last Jewel so we can get on to finding that Crystal of Tenebatos!" Stars appeared in her eyes. "Then, we'll go find the Royal Twins of Torus! Hmm, I hope the Royal Prince is-ahh! Ow, Zaria, that smarts!"

Zaria looked away nonchalantly while Cat glared at her, rubbing her foot. "What was that for?" Zaria didn't reply, and Breanna rolled her eyes in her usual manner. Adrian's skin turned a shade paler, and he looked like he was morphing into his vampire mode. Zeth laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, 'Driana," he murmured mildly in a most soothing tone. Adrian's skin bronzed again.

Cat disregarded Adrian's reaction and walked on carelessly, putting away her whip. She turned around to the others and struck a martial arts pose, reminiscent to Breanna's fighting stance. "I'm so good now that I don't even need my whip nor any magic to help me kill the monsters," she declared arrogantly.

A monster came up behind her, its teeth bared, but Cat stuck her fist to the side and contiguously knocked the monster out. A self-satisfied grin formed on her lips. "See?"

She pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. "I'm getting a lot better, I'm sure you can all see how I'm improving. You know, it's really amazing how-" Cat continued to babble on relentlessly, not letting any of the others get a syllable in.

"What in the world is wrong with you, Cat?" demanded Zack. "Ya can't come being a bigheaded pain in the neck now, okay? We have a mission to carry out and you're here being petty and egotistical for no reason in particular. It's your own blunder that you didn't respond to Adrian beforehand! That was your perfect opportunity, and you didn't take it, so there obviously is nothing more to say, is there?"

Cat was taciturn. Zaria walked over and put her hands on Cat's shoulders. "Zack, that was kind of severe," she murmured. "Don't worry, Cat. Right now we just need to focus on finding that final Jewel, and then we can focus on searching for the Crystal of Tenebatos."

"Right, Zaria Zog!" Kupo asserted. "Cat Cog, be cheerful! Need energy fight Jewel! No listen Zack Zog. Zack Zog MEANY!"

A small smile appeared on Cat's lips. She turned towards the others. "Sorry. I guess I was being kind of immature for no reason in particular," she said, eyeing Zack. "But now I'm ready. We're all ready to proceed, are we not?"

"Hell yeah, we are," Breanna interjected. "Can we get a move on? I'm starting to miss the comforts of one of those castle guest room beds."

Cat grinned. "Okay guys, let's go then!" She turned to Kupo. "Lead the way, Kupo!" Kupo fluttered its wings happily and flew forward, leading them to the next tower. Before it reached the door it stopped abruptly and turned around to face them all. "Fuuko Fog, this Jewel the worst! This Jewel very powerful, other Jewels all terrified of this one! You sure you want see Ruby Jewel?"

Fuuko looked at Zeth. He had a resigned smile on his face. "It's inevitable, might as well get it over with," he said, shrugging. "Let's go." He walked ahead and pushed the door. It didn't budge. He tried kicking it. It still wouldn't budge. Finally he heaved his entire body weight onto the door and simply bounced off. "Hey, what's wrong with this door?"

"Let me try." Zitan stepped forward and pulled the door open.

"Oh," Zeth said, abashed, raking his hand through his hair.

Zitan had a smug look on his face. "So much for being General Tide," Zitan muttered, barely loud enough for Zaria to overhear.

Zaria slowly turned her head in Zitan's direction, her eyes slightly narrowed. Zitan was looking ahead of them, and his eyes were that queer shade of light green again. Was something wrong with her brother? He had been behaving somewhat peculiarly lately.

"Zitan…" Zaria said quietly, "Is everything all right with you and Zeth?" Zitan's head snapped around towards Zaria, his eyes wide.

"Rynn," he whispered shakily, his lips trembling. His eyes widened even more. "W-what am I saying?" he exclaimed, backing away from Zaria, shaking his head violently. "S…s…stay away from me, Zaria!" he cried, wrapping his arms around himself and leaning downwards. "I don't know what's come over me…I…"

"Zitan! If something's wrong, you have to tell us!" Zaria cried, frightened. "You're my brother, and-"

"I'm not your brother, I'm your twin!" Zitan shouted, whirling away and running into the tower. Zaria was frozen in shock.

"Don't go in yet, Zitan!" Breanna shouted as he ran through the door.

"Come back, Zitan Zog!" Kupo cried, leaping from Fuuko's arms and flying in after Zitan.

Cat turned towards Zaria. "Zaria, Zaria, what do we do?" she cried in burgeoning panic.

"Yes, what do we do?" Zack echoed.

Zaria merely stood there, shaking her head vehemently. "TWINS!" she screamed. "NOOO! It can't be this way! NOOO!" she cried fervently.

"Look, I really don't know what's going on, but we have to follow Zitan," Adrian said, spreading his wings.

"I'm going too," Fuuko said quickly, starting off.

"What's wrong with Zaria?" Cat asked fearfully, her eyes tearing. "What's wrong, Zeth?"

Zeth's expression was stricken. "I don't know…I really don't know…"

"What are we going to do?" Zack exclaimed.

"Here's what," said Breanna, taking charge of the situation. "Someone stays here with Zaria until she comes to her senses, but the rest of us have to go and battle the Jewel. It's unavoidable." She turned to Zeth. "I really don't think you should be the one for this job, Zeth…they'll need you in during the battle, anyway. Let me stay."

Everybody ran into the tower except for Breanna and Zeth. He fixed his eyes on Breanna, his emotions mixed. "Bree…are you really sure?"

Her expression was unusually gentle. "Yes. Go."

Zeth took one last look at her and bounded towards the tower. Meanwhile, Zaria had crumpled down to the floor, still shaking her head. She had wrapped her arms around her body and was having difficulty breathing. Breanna bent over Zaria and helped her up.

"Zaria," she said softly, cupping Zaria's face in her hands. Zaria looked up at Breanna hesitantly with fearful eyes.

"I know too, Zaria," Breanna murmured. "Because I was there."

Zaria's eyes widened, and her mouth slowly formed an "o" shape. "You…couldn't have been," she whispered.

Breanna's eyes filled with obvious pain and clouded over. "I was. You saw me. You remember me now, don't you."

_Rynn opened her eyes. The sky was a bright, illustrious teal. She sat up and stretched, yawning, but then blanched as a discomfort shot through her chest. She looked down at her bandaged wound that had been given to her in her last battle with General Tide. She lifted her hand and placed her fingers on the wound, closing her eyes._

Did he really mean it when he said he wanted to see me again? What if…what if he's actually trying to trick me into something?

_Rynn didn't want to think about Tide, but she couldn't get his face out of her mind. Why did he have to torment her so? She…she…wasn't supposed to be doing anything except what she had been sent down to do. She had been sent down to lead the Humans in war and that was that, plain and simple. She wasn't supposed to develop affinities with anyone, particularly a Being._

Why? Why? Why!_ Rynn groaned and managed to pull herself up, still clutching her wound with one hand._

First you injure me, then you try to act like you are good by healing me, _she thought angrily._ That's no way to treat the Moon Maiden Artemis!

_She took a deep breath and walked out of the confines of Human territory. She would go see General Tide and settle the score once and for all._

"I-I remember the day that I first saw you," Zaria whispered. "But I don't recall anything else about you."

Breanna's expression turned grim. "Think harder," she muttered. "I thought back, and I remembered, so you will too. You can remember, Rynn Locke. Don't you remember Tide?"

_Rynn could see him standing among his Being comrades, with all his familiar mannerisms. She remained in hiding, watching him carefully. The way he smiled, how his silky hair would fall in front of his brows, his gentle, complacent eyes, everything about him…why was it making her waver so? Rynn retreated into the shadows, her fingers going back to the wound his sword had left, but his hands had cured. Why was she feeling this way?_

_She felt a hand on her shoulder, and almost screamed, but managed to stifle it in time. She whirled around and her gaze stopped when she saw a beautiful young Being warrior maiden with acrimonious, flashing eyes. Her eyes widened as she stepped back. Rynn was terrified, for she had transgressed one of the rules she herself had set up: NEVER BE CAUGHT IN AN ENEMY STRONGHOLD. The Being warrior maiden stepped up to her as Rynn stood frozen in her tracks. _

"_Ter pen krai, lae ma tum arai tee nee!" the maiden demanded._

"_What?" Rynn asked, flustered. Then she remembered. She spoke the universal language of humanoid creatures, as did many prominent Beings, but obviously this young warrior maiden's natural tongue was the language of the Beings._

_"Bok ma si! Tum arai tee nee!" the maiden repeated._

_Rynn shook her head. "Chan mai khao jai," she said, one of the few phrases she knew in Being language. I don't understand. _

_The maiden continued to glare at her. "Teed!" she shouted, grasping Rynn's arm and pulling her away into another secluded area, still in the Being stronghold. "Ma nee noi si!"_

_"Oh, what are you saying?" Rynn cried, allowing herself to be pulled. She couldn't cry for help, she couldn't do anything! Moments later she saw Tide approach them. He looked anxious. Rynn quickly moved behind the maiden._

_"Arai ah," he remonstrated, speaking to the Being warrior maiden. Then he spied Rynn behind the maiden. "Rynn…" his lips mouthed her name. _

"_Ter ru jak khao ror?" the maiden demanded. _

"_Yes, it's me," Rynn said quietly. "Tide, Tide, whatever is she saying? I came like you said…but she found me first," Rynn burst._

_"Rynn," Tide said again, before he motioned for the maiden to let go of Rynn. The maiden pouted and released her unyielding grip._

_"Chan-" the maiden began._

_"Enough, speak the universal language," Tide instructed her. The maiden pouted again._

_"Fine, but Teed, who is this wench and what in the world is she doing here? Her appearance suggests a different level of life."_

_Rynn flinched at how the maiden had said "different level of life"._

_Tide simply glared at the maiden. "Oh for goodness sake, enough!" he exclaimed. "Stop getting so suspicious all the time, Meryuu. Just because we're supposed to wed doesn't mean you possess me."_

_Rynn's head reeled. What? Tide was engaged to this vexatious vixen? And yet he still…_

_Rynn was undeniably enraged now. Her eyes flashed dangerously, and the moon on her forehead began to gleam. "General Tidal Alexandros Endrocius of the Beings," she muttered in an ominous tone._

_"Wait, calm down!" Tide exclaimed, rushing towards Rynn and clasping her to him. "Please, be quiet or we'll all be discovered," he whispered in her ear._

_"Teed, what in Hades dost thou thinks thy is doing? Methinks you should halt further action," Meryuu demanded._

_Tide released Rynn and turned back to Meryuu. "Sheesh, Meryuu! Our parents aren't here! We don't need to put on any asinine act when we're not at home! Just leave me be! And please, when you speak in humanoid, call me Tide, not Teed!"_

_"Fine, if thou wish it that way," Meryuu said sulkily. She threw a foul glance in Rynn's direction and sauntered away._

_Tide turned back to Rynn, his eyes full of warmth and kindness. "You did come after all," he said lightly. She looked up at him angrily._

_"I shouldn't even be thinking of you, much less be here," she said unfeelingly._

_"Oh, Meryuu is just the daughter of another Being general who is of a distinguished bloodline, and we were supposed to marry," Tide said, shaking his head. "But I will wed who I please, and it will not be Meryuu. She only thinks that because…because she craves the power that she will obtain if married to me."_

_"Oh, is that so?" Rynn asked disdainfully. "Really Tide, you don't know who you're up against in this. I am the Moon Maiden Artemis, and I-"_

_"Stop throwing that excuse in my face over and over," Tide interrupted, shushing Rynn by placing the tip of his finger on her lips. "I am the General Tidal Alexandros Endrocius of Being Sector Six," he teased. He shook his head again. "Rynn, Rynn, Rynn. All I could think of since I last saw you was your angry yet beautiful face glaring at me in the battlefield right before I double-slashed you. If I could take it all back, I would never have harmed you."_

_He reached out and placed his fingertips on the diminutive cut he had left on her left cheek. Rynn snapped her head to the side, away from his touch._

_"Don't touch me like that," she muttered, a tear sliding down her cheek. She hurriedly wiped it away. "It still hurts, you know!"_

_Tide laughed airily. "Rynn, I know that if you had not wanted to have anything to do with me then you wouldn't have stayed this long."_

_Rynn remained silent, but she thought she could see a dark figure in the shadows behind Tide as he fidgeted, removing something from his neck. She closed her eyes and let the breeze blow her hair back from her face._

_"What makes you think you have any right to even look at me? I…I am the Moon Maiden Artemis, and you are…just a Being." Rynn finished feebly. Tide didn't say anything, but simply pressed a heavy chain into Rynn's fingers. Rynn looked dubiously up at Tide, who had the gentlest smile on his face._

_"What are you trying to pull?" she muttered, gazing down at the chain. Tide laughed. He took the chain from her hands and put it on her neck. At her throat hung a small charm in the shape of wings. Wings of light._

_"I'm not a Being. You shouldn't put some Being insignia around my neck. I'm the enemy," Rynn murmured, her resolve weakening._

_"Even if you were Hell itself, I'd still want to hold you, Moon Maiden Artemis," Tide said softly, his expression turning woeful. He turned those radiant eyes of his towards her again._

_"I don't want to hurt you, Rynn, and I don't want to have to fight you anymore, either. Why is it that every time I see you I can think of nothing but wanting to keep thou here with me?"_

_Rynn's expression was grave. "Tide…I really don't think-"_

_"Hast thou ever heard of something called love at first sight?" Tide asked her, his eyes still transfixed on her. Rynn looked away. _

"_No."_

_"Then let me tell you what it is. It's when you already have a nice life, everything set out properly for your future, and then all of a sudden when you think that finally you have everything you could ever want, you realize that you truly have nothing even though you seemingly have everything, which is all the result of seeing one person." His eyes looked pained. "Rynn, I had everything to lose, and everything I had became nothing to me the moment I saw you in that battlefield, waving thine cumbrous sword. At first I was afraid. How is it possible that anyone could ever make me feel this way, especially one that is a Human? I felt like if I could nullify you then that longing would go away, but as soon as I got nearer and nearer…I wanted to do nothing but toss aside all that I am and to keep you sheltered from harm. That feeling frightened me acutely…so I did what I meant never to do…I slashed out at thee, giving thee an appalling wound. I know that it's hard to believe, but that wound signifies just how strong my love for thee is."_

_Rynn kept her face away from Tide's view as her eyes welled up. He really did have affection for her! She understood completely, for it had been the same for her…so that was what it had been. She had been fortunate enough to fall in love at first sight…or was she? Being in love with the…enemy? Because that was what Tide was. He was the dastardly adversary. This was one union that couldn't be._

_"Tide…I can't love you. You can't love me. We can't let this happen!" Rynn cried, pushing him away from her. She pointed behind him. "And there is someone who can tell you precisely why, Tide!" She turned and ran away as fast as possible, ran back towards the Human camp._

_"Rynn!" Tide called, but to no avail. She was gone. He closed his eyes, trying to hold in his pain. When he reopened them, he found himself staring into the dusky eyes of Meryuu._

_"I see," she remarked. "O Tide, hast thou no scruples? Thou belongst to me, and only me! When did this maiden Rynn come into thy life? O woe, woe! The mighty Tide hath diminished thyself to the level of thy precious Humans," she spat._

_"Meryuu, stop talking like that," Tide muttered wearily. "It's none of your concern."_

_"'Tis indeed nothing except my concern!" Meryuu flared. "Thou art my impending consort and caretaker, I shall allow thou no longer to think of thy Artemis!"_

_"You can do nothing!" Tide shouted, angry now. "Is all you think of ways to destroy others' lives, Meryuu? If so, then I guess I misconstrued you earlier! I considered you a comrade, someone to be trusted, but I guess besides being a pushy semantic you are also not one to be allegiant! If that is the case, then do what you will, but I will no longer be a part of your life, Meryuu. The name Meryuu shall be erased from my memory, never to be spoken of again!"_

_And with that, Tide ran off in the direction of the Human camp, leaving Meryuu standing there with tears sliding down her cheeks. How could he have done that to her? Wasn't she his bride-to-be? And when exactly had this Rynn girl come into the picture? Her depression slowly became replaced with anger, a need for vengeance._

_"So be it, Teed. Thou hath wronged me to turn to one such as Rynn Locke when thou art mine. Thine eyes shall not be able to gaze at Artemis much longer, as thine lips will never have a chance to graze hers. Thou hath wronged me greatly, and thou shall pay for it. If thou cannot be mine, thou cannot be the Moon Maiden Artemis's either! The lives of Rynn Locke and Tide Endrocius are finished."_

_Meryuu flipped her hair and stalked away, feeling contented. She would find a way to end Rynn Locke and Tide Endrocius from ever consummating their love. No one could scorn Meryuu, daughter of a Being General, and ever get away with it._

Zaria opened her eyes and groaned. "Breanna…you're not telling me this…no…"

"Yes I am, Rynn," Breanna said darkly. "It is I, Meryuu."

Zaria shook her head slowly. "No…this can't be happening…no. You can't be Meryuu, because Meryuu is a Being!"

"Oh Zaria, we both know that Tide was reborn as a Human…and so was I. I guess the Beings don't consider me very important, because they don't even know about me…" Breanna shrugged.

"But we're not enemies anymore, are we?" cried Zaria. "You never truly wronged us…we hold no resentment! Although your anger might have been strong, your sense of morality was stronger!"

Breanna bowed her head. "Was it?" she asked quietly.

"What?" Zaria replied in disbelief. "You were the one who…"

_Tide raked his hair with his fingers, distraught. "Look Rynn, if we can think of any way to stop what has already begun, then maybe we will be able to live as enemies, but-"_

_"Don't talk anymore, Tide," Rynn whispered, placing her palms on his heart. "With every word you speak, my love for you grows more and more. It is already too late to stop what has already begun…the most we can do is to stop it from progressing any further."_

_"Rynn…" Tide murmured, tears stinging his eyes. Now when their love had truly blossomed, he knew that it was wrong to love her, as she knew it was wrong to love him._

_Rynn released her devoted grip on him and pushed him away delicately. "Go before it really is too late, for I fear the consequences will be dire if I let this devotion I feel expand any further in the breaches of my heart."_

_"Rynn," Tide repeated, turning around to face her. _

_She quickly cast her gaze downward. "I beseech thee, look into my eyes not, for I need not for your darts to inflict any further wound on me." She slowly looked up at him, her eyes full of anguish. "They already have, though we both know that it is forbidden."_

_Tide reached out for her but she moved away. "I can not allow myself to be vulnerable to your touch, lest all our honorable pledges be retracted," she said gently. Why, oh why did he have to be enamored of her so? And even more important, why did she return that devotion?_

_"Let me hold you one last time, Rynn," Tide said unexpectedly, reaching for her again. Rynn instantly pulled away. She shook her head and opened her mouth as if to say something, but decided not to and dashed away, leaving Tide standing alone again._

_Meryuu, whom had been watching all the while, scanned her thoughts. Should she? Could she? Did she really want that much for Tide not to be with Rynn? Meryuu felt her heart twist in her chest. But what if Tide really did love Rynn with all his heart? If you loved somebody…didn't you want what was best for him or her, and not yourself? Could she really go through with her original plan, leaving Tide miserable? Meryuu felt her resolve wearing down. She couldn't do it. Meryuu ran into the darkness, hot tears burning their way down her cheeks._

_Rynn once more approached the meadow where she had met Tide so many times. This time though, she had not come for that reason. This would be the last time that she would ever come here. Rynn held a small slip of paper clutched in her hand. She laid her free hand on the wound that Tide had left on her chest. The wound still had not completely healed. Would it ever heal, especially after she would leave Tide behind? But…it was for the better, for both of them. No longer would she be tied down by her love for General Tide of the Beings. No longer would she tie down anyone._

_"Oh Tide, there's so much I want to say, and no way to say it. When will we ever be able to meet again…? I'm afraid never, my beloved," she spoke quietly. She gazed upwards towards the sky. She had promised herself that she wouldn't cry._

_"If I should leave this lonely world behind…my voice will still remember our melody," she whispered. "The time has come for my suffering to end. I know the pain that you will feel, for I feel it too. I feel your pain reaching me already, but that is precisely the reason I must go."_

_She placed the slip of paper on the ground and gently laid her precious moonstone on top of it. Rynn gathered her wits and braced herself for what was to come. She held up her sword in front of her._

_"Forgive me," she muttered, thrusting the sword towards her body. Everything went black._

Am I alive? Am I…alone?

_Tide closed his eyes as he held Rynn tightly. He slowly got up from the ground, and rolled Rynn over so she was lying on her back. _Oh, Rynn, how could you even consider taking your own life?_ Tears unconsciously ran down his cheeks. _Don't you care about how I will feel if I ever have to behold you not alive and breathing? Or do you not love me as much as I love you? _ Tide gazed at the Moon Maiden Artemis. He had been forced to knock her out in the process, but at least he had stopped her in time. His tears of sadness turned into tears of frustration. Why, why couldn't they have met under different circumstances? Why did fate have to taunt them so cruelly?_

_"I will protect you from everything, even yourself," Tide murmured to Rynn's slumbering face. "Rynn, Rynn, you are my everything. I knew the moment I saw your eyes flashing angrily as we clanged swords that you were the one that I was born to protect and cherish. The day you are gone will be the day that I must cease to exist, for I live to love and protect you."_

_Rynn stirred slightly, and finally awoke, her eyes peering at him. "Awww," she groaned as she sat up, rubbing her head. She looked around. "I'm dead and in heaven already, right?" she said longingly as she looked away. She pulled her gaze back towards Tide. "You weren't supposed to stop me," she muttered, glaring at him. "You, out of all people, should know that this is the only honorable way out. As a commander, honor is what matters most. You should understand that."_

_"Don't preach about honor to me, Rynn," Tide said harshly. "You know that I have promised to keep you safe from harm, and if I ever let you get hurt or hurt yourself then I will be breaking my vow. Even if I were to die after that, I would be devoid of honor." His voice softened. "Besides, you know how it feels, don't you? And if you don't, then I'll show thee."_

_He swiftly unsheathed his dagger and held it up to his own throat. "I dare you to stop me," he said challengingly._

_"I shall not stop thee, for I have made no such pledge to you," Rynn replied haughtily, looking away._

_"Then so be it," answered Tide, pressing the blade harder to his flesh as he closed his eyes. "Oof!"_

_His dagger had been knocked out of his hand and he had been knocked over as well. He was lying on the grass and Rynn was right above him, her long strands of hair hanging down and brushing his face. Her face was obscure in the shadows. _

_"Don't," she muttered, as Tide felt a droplet of moisture fall onto his cheek. "Tide…I beg of thee, noble general. Don't make me care for you any more than I do now."_

_She moved away and raked her fingertips through her messy hair. "There is no way that we may be united peacefully. We must forget about everything as soon as the war is over and one side wins."_

_"Then I pray that the war will never end!" Tide cried, sitting up._

_"Don't be selfish," Rynn murmured as she picked up her slip of paper and her moonstone. She placed the moonstone on her forehead and it sunk in, completely disappearing underneath her skin._

_"This moonstone is my essence," she explained to Tide. "As long as I have it, I will be under the good graces of Princess Louvia of the Moon." She tried to hide the slip of paper beneath her back, but Tide reached forth and snatched it away._

_"Ah, so thou doth love me after all!" Tide exclaimed, scanning the letter. He looked back towards her. "You had me worried." Rynn shrugged as she contemplated, unable to run away from what she knew was inevitable. _

_Finally she threw aside all her apprehensions and concerns and flung herself into Tide's arms, burying her head into his shoulder. "My heart is on a precipice, ready to plunge at any moment. If you refuse me, I shall surely die," she rasped. "My heart has been devoid of love my entire human life. I never had a true family or anyone who truly cared for me and needed me to care for them. I beseech thee, just hold me this once, and after you do, leave me here to die. I do not want to be your undoing, General Tidal Alexandros Endrocius. Let me be anything but your undoing…"_

_"Before anything else, allow me to make you Rynn Endrocius…for I know I shall love Rynn Endrocius as much as I love Rynn Locke, if not more."_

_"I shall give thee anything but my Locke-hood," Rynn responded. "I must honor my vow to my princess."_

_"If only…" Tide murmured. "If only."_

_Rynn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Tide, I have something important to tell you. It's about my name."_

_"Thy name is as precious as thine eyes that make me shiver so, Rynn," Tide replied poetically._

_Rynn shook her head vigorously. "Rynn is not my true name, Tide. My real name is not Rynn."_

_Tide's dreamy smile was wiped off his face. "What?"_

_Oh, should I tell him this? This is bound to be the seed of my undoing…yet, I must tell this one person._

_"My…real…name…must not be revealed to anyone!" Rynn cried forcefully. "Promise me you will not tell anyone, Tide, for if you do, if you do, I will cease to exist. That is the only way I can be destroyed, Tide."_

_His eyes remained wide open, staring at her in abject consternation._

_"…My true name is…Ryonn Rinsae Locke," Rynn revealed. "It is that name that can be used to summon my inner moonstone, which would in turn signal my end."_

_"Ryonn Rinsae," Tide whispered, feeling the omnipotence of the name as his lips formed the syllables. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "Ryonn Rinsae."_

_His gaze became earnest and he had the fire of determination in his eyes as he spoke to her. "No matter what, you shall always be Rynn to me. Rynn, Rynn, and only Rynn. Ryonn Rinsae might be important, but Ryonn Rinsae is nothing compared to Rynn."_

_"Just as thy title of General Tidal Alexandros Endrocius means not half as much as thy name of Tide," whispered Rynn, falling apart._

_Meryuu had not moved a muscle this entire time. She had been listening adamantly for the key information that would bring down Rynn Locke, the Moon Maiden Artemis. _Ryonn Rinsae Locke, huh

_After many nights of thinking Meryuu's grief at her loss of Tide had developed into bitterness as she realized that he had never actually truly cared for her. _As you wish,_ Meryuu thought. Maybe if they both were made to pay for their capricious actions, they would both realize how they had wronged her so. In that way, she wouldn't be hurting one of them more than the other, and they would still be equal._

"And…and…my twisted way of thinking told me that I was right in thinking what I did," Breanna murmured. "I…I…" she stuttered, faltering.

Zaria was silent. This was too much to take…this was too many memories to be remembered, too many revelations to be realized. Breanna was…Meryuu? And it was because of her that…they had died?

"What did you do?" Zaria whispered. Breanna looked away again.

_Meryuu stood in front of Miefe's private camp, taking a deep breath. "You know you have to do this," she muttered to herself. Yes. She had to. She knew that if she didn't she would be bitter for the rest of her life…bitter that she hadn't been able to do anything to preserve her own dignity._

_She nerved herself and flittered into the camp, her eyes darting around furtively. She tried to stay unnoticed, but almost immediately she was spotted by one of the guards. He flew over to her in a huff._

_"What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Only authorized persons may enter Miefe's camp!"_

_"Ah…I…uh…" Meryuu stuttered, but then the guard's face softened as he recognized her. "Meryuu!" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. He did look more than slightly familiar._

_"Dolph," Meryuu murmured softly. She turned away. "Leave me be, Dolph," she whispered dejectedly, hurting as she braced herself. "I'm not for the likes of thee. I have been promised to the one and only General Tide Alexandros Endrocius of Being Sector Six. You are but a guard," she finished coldly, turning away._

_Dolph's pupils shrank. "So that's all thou hath ever seen me as, Meryuu? Simply a guard?"_

_"Simply a guard," Meryuu replied firmly, flouncing away. She paused for a moment before turning away again. "Stop me if thou will," she challenged him. "Let's see how hard thou heart hath become, Dolph."_

_Dolph lowered his hurtful gaze. Meryuu, Tide and Dolph had once been great friends…until the war started, when they had been separated. He turned away from his beloved childhood friend._

_"So be it, Meryuu," he said heavily, trudging back to his post. "Divine Ones forgive me, but I can not harm one I love, even if it means hurting someone else. For I see the look in her eyes. She wants revenge."_

_If Dolph had not loved Meryuu so, Rynn and Tide might have not been killed. He made no move whatsoever to forestall Meryuu from wreaking the greatest havoc of all, and he knew that. "Love makes us blind," he whispered, his own eyes being blinded by the liquid droplets of his own pain. How much he felt that pain encompassing his entire being._

_Meryuu no longer had any obstacle to hinder her from seeing Miefe, except for her own dank conscience, which was still quite an obstacle. Meryuu hesitated for a brief moment, and was almost seen by one of the few guards of Miefe's camp. Although Miefe's camp did not have many guards, all of them who were there were elite guards whom had been specially selected and whom had gone through special training. What she had said to Dolph was true, that he was but a guard, but that comment could be taken in many ways. For a Being, being one of Miefe's guards was one of the most honorable professions there was, especially during wartime. There was not a job that a young male being coveted more, except of course, being a general such as Tide._

_Meryuu deeply regretted saying such brutal words to Dolph, but there was nothing she could do to take those words back now. Nothing she could do. Except do what she originally came here to do. See Miefe…and get rid of Artemis for once and for all. Yet she still felt an overwhelming sense of guilt._

You're not betraying anyone_, Meryuu chided herself. In fact, she was performing her very duty! She was a Being warrior, and the main enemy of the Beings was Artemis! The only reason Tide had gotten so close to her was because then he would be able to make a short work of her easily in a second, with not much trouble. Yes, she was doing the right thing._

_Or was she? In her heart, she knew Tide would do no such thing. He was an honorable warrior, none of that conniving underhanded business involved._

_Meryuu continued on her way to Miefe's quarters with a heavy heart, although she moved deftly as a feather. The sickeningly sweet scent of wisterias crept up into her nostrils, making her feel increasingly unsure about her decision, about herself. Meryuu knew the scent well. It was from Miefe's consort, Wisteria. Her original name was Lantha, a very simple Being name wit the meaning of "a million eyes", but as soon as Lantha had reached this planet and smelled wisteria, she demanded everyone to call her Wisteria and to provide her with as much wisteria as she pleased. Nobody dared refuse Lantha anything, for she was the leading consort of Miefe, and an exquisitely beautiful one at that, so Wisteria she became. Wisteria could control an entire army of Being soldiers simply by giving them one of her special smothering looks and uttering a few simple syllables. In a way, she was almost as powerful as Miefe with her regal beauty, and held that same power over Miefe, but it still didn't prevent him from having other consorts who were lowly of background, so Wisteria quickly was dubbed the leading consort._

_Very many also feared as well as adored Wisteria, with her sharp and agile movements, her startling flicks of the wrist, and her overpowering voice and demeanor. Her moods changed instantaneously, so she was always given the best in fear of one of her deathly tantrums that could frighten anyone._

_Her long luxuriant purple hair reached the middle of her back, the curlicues somewhat flat and untamed, yet they framed her ivory face and diminutive features perfectly. Her eyes were a startling cornflower blue, and when she directed her gaze at you it felt like you were being torn apart by lasers, but it was exquisite agony. She was not tall and statuesque, but demanded all authority by her imperious presence._

_Meryuu had seen Wisteria in person but a few times, and certainly didn't know her personally, but knew enough of her to fear her. Now she would have to face Miefe with Wisteria nearby, and she knew that she was definitely in for a terrifying experience._

_Meryuu continued along her hidden pathway, as the scent of wisteria grew stronger and stronger, her fear intensifying by the minute. She could conceive Miefe's expression when he found out that Meryuu had sneaked into camp. He knew her quite well, but he always made it clear that he required none of his rules to be broken._

_She approached the main chamber, the chamber that Miefe was in. There were guards on the outside; guards that Meryuu recognized from back home, but she didn't dare approach them._

_She very quietly flew upwards to the top of the door, where there was a grandly designed air hole, and she painstakingly squeezed her body through it into the chamber. As soon as she was inside, she nearly dropped to the floor, but managed to stay aloft. There were no guards in Miefe's private quarters, but the scent of wisteria was so strong that she could barely breathe. She slowly descended and approached a set of doors. Her wings flickered as she struggled to pull it open._

_"What do you think you're doing?" a sharp voice boomed from behind, a voice that Meryuu recognized all too well. She turned around slowly to see one of the most ravishing Being females she had ever seen in her life glaring icily at her. She stepped back fearfully._

_Wisteria marched up to her, her wings flickering with anger. They turned a quite becoming shade of plum as they did so._

_"Who are you and what are you doing here?" she demanded, her delicate features distorted with anger. "How did you get past Dolph without me being notified?"_

_Meryuu opened her mouth without a sound coming out, her voice being choked up._

_"Speak up this instant or I'll call the guards on you!" Wisteria shrieked._

_"I'm here to speak of a matter of great importance with Miefe," Meryuu managed, her voice small._

_Wisteria laughed harshly. "You? Who are you, anyway? And what makes you think that what you have to say would mean anything to anyone of importance?" she sneered. "I suggest you remove yourself from the premises before I decide that you're not important enough to live," Wisteria finished, her eyes narrowing._

_"But I have news of the Moon Maiden Artemis!" Meryuu shot back testily._

_"And what of it?" Wisteria said, unperturbed. "There's plenty of things to know about the Moon Maiden Artemis, but that doesn't mean anyone needs to know. All we need to do is exterminate her, and then we have this planet." She scowled. "I don't even know why I'm wasting my precious time speaking to one of such lowly importance as yourself."_

_"I'm not just anybody!" Meryuu protested, her eyes filling up with tears. She was feeling increasingly nauseated by the wisteria scent. "I'm Meryuu the-"_

_"I don't care!" Wisteria screeched. "I'm through with you, so just leave!"_

_"What is this?" a deep voice boomed. "Wisteria, calm yourself and watch your language. Who is this you're speaking to?"_

_Meryuu turned abruptly and found herself gazing at the most feared Being of all Beings, Miefe._

_"Meryuu!" Miefe exclaimed, recognizing her immediately. Wisteria was speechless as Miefe gave her a complaisant look._

_"Miefe 'tis thee, finally!" Meryuu cried, greatly relieved. _

_"Well, the vapid creature wouldn't say who she was," Wisteria muttered, turning away._

_"STAY!" Miefe demanded in such an austere voice that even Meryuu cringed. Wisteria pouted but did as he demanded. Miefe turned back to _

_Meryuu. "You have news of the Moon Maiden Artemis?" he asked, getting right to the point._

_Meryuu nodded. "Yes, very important news, my lord," she replied unwaveringly, placing her guilt in the back of her mind. "I have unlocked the key to the downfall of Rynn Locke."_

_"And what might that key be?" Miefe asked in a manner redolent to Wisteria's. Wisteria stood by, smirking._

_Meryuu cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "It's through General Tidal Alexandros Endrocius, Sector Six," she answered weakly, her voice cracking. There. She had done it. She had betrayed Tide to the Beings…but only because she wanted to help him._

_Miefe's eyes flashed with anger and his entire face was contorted._

_Him and Wisteria make a good couple, Meryuu thought to herself._

_"Tide," he spat. "I knew it." He laughed in a way that made Meryuu's blood run cold. "I knew someday his heyday would finally arrive. This is what I've been waiting for," he continued, his eyes narrowing into slits._

_"Come now, Meryuu, you must tell me the rest."_

_Meryuu gulped down the anxiety that was rising in her throat._

_"General Tide…hath…been associating with Rynn Locke," she croaked. "I hath been observing their secret rendezvous for awhile, but not long ago today I came upon a piece of information that might grant us our long awaited victory," she continued, her voice growing stronger. "The secret name of Rynn Locke hath been revealed."_

_Wisteria's eyes grew rounder and rounder as Meryuu spoke. "Rynn Locke has been associating intimately with Tide?" she finally cried, furious. "Why should an inept creature like her be able to capture the heart of such a general?"_

_Looking away, Meryuu tried to ignore Wisteria's candid comment._

_"Silence, Wisteria," Miefe muttered. "Continue, Meryuu."_

_"Her name is Ryonn Rinsae Locke, my lord."_

_Miefe smiled. "Ryonn Rinsae," he pronounced, and then nodded. "Yes, I can feel the life force in that name." He laughed again. "Now we shall indeed be able to take down Artemis, along with General Tide," he declared. "My final wish has been granted."_

_"No, my lord!" Meryuu cried. "Tide must not be taken down with her! Only Rynn! Tidal must be spared, I beseech thee!"_

_"Yes, spare Tide," Wisteria echoed, her expression looking earnest for once. Wisteria's support only seemed to irk Miefe more._

_"All right, as long as you go talk to him and get him to cooperate, Meryuu." Miefe said grudgingly, turning away. "Come back in two days, Meryuu. Two days. By then we must be ready to take proper action. I bid you leave."_

_"I bestow my deepest gratitude to thee, kind sir," Meryuu said, bowing deeply. She turned to Wisteria to do the same, but was stopped._

_"Not so fast," Wisteria said with a smirk on her face. "I won't be departing your company just yet. Did you think I would let you have him all to yourself? I'm going to go see Tide too," she explained. She turned to Miefe. "See you in two days, darling!" she cried gaily in Miefe's direction. Miefe merely shook his head, not even turning back. Meryuu was crestfallen. She had wanted to go speak to Tide herself, hopefully to convince him that coming back to the Beings' side was the right thing to do, but now Wisteria was coming along. She would ruin everything. But there was nothing Meryuu could do._

_She shook her head. "Allow me to lead the way, Lady Wisteria," she said quietly._

Zaria pursed her lips. "Oh yes, now I do remember Wisteria," she murmured. "She did seem to dislike me greatly."

Breanna laughed callously. "Zaria, it was way beyond dislike. It was purely spiteful jealousy, because that's basically all that was underneath all of Wisteria's pretty face. A mean-spirited soul full of jealousy and hate. Just like Miefe."

Zaria's expression saddened. "If only…" she said softly.

"There are so many things that could have been prevented if only I hadn't meddled," Breanna finished for her, smiling. Zaria looked up at her. "It's not all your fault, Bree."

"But a big chunk of it was because of my possessiveness," Breanna replied just as softly.

All of a sudden there was a loud boom from inside the tower. Breanna snapped her head in that direction. "We gotta go now," she muttered, standing up. She looked back down at Zaria. "The others."

Zaria seemed torn. "But…the rest of the story," she murmured. "There's still so much more for you to tell me."

"That can all be done later after this," Breanna said quietly. "Yes, there is still much to be told. But maybe everyone should hear this."

Zaria nodded. "Yes." She lifted her chin up. "Yes, they all should," she agreed, standing up. "Let's go."


	13. Chapter 13 Too Far Back

Too Far Back 

Zeth felt weak but triumphant as he watched Ruby Jewel disintegrate into oblivion. He let himself fall to the floor, thoroughly fatigued.

"Whoo-hoo!" Zack cheered, although he too was exhausted. That had been one of the most grueling battles yet, but through team effort they had managed to defeat Ruby Jewel without Zaria's Holy assistance and without using his Destruction.

"Close one, that was," Cat remarked, wiping the sweat from her brow. She turned around, gazing at everyone until her eyes rested on Zitan, who had been huddling in a corner the entire time. She strode over to him. "Zitan," she said gently. "Everything's all right now. We've all vanquished Ruby Jewel. We're all safe…for now. What's wrong? Is there anything we can do to help? It can't be that bad, can it?"

"Don't overwhelm the poor guy with so many questions," Fuuko ordered as she hurried over. She bent down over Zitan.

"Listen, we're all here for you no matter what, okay? Doesn't matter if you're Zaria's cousin, brother, or twin, you'll always be one of us. Not a single person is angry with you for not telling us about you being Zaria's twin! It's all right. And Zaria…well, I suppose she didn't expect to have a twin, with all that complicated Father Time business," she said, shrugging.

"No, you don't understand," Zitan whispered. "No one understands. Except…for Zaria. And maybe Breanna does as well. They were there. They know. They know how my presence is…vile."

His answer baffled Fuuko, leaving her speechless.

"Now see here!" Zack boomed in his customary fashion. "How do you expect us to comprehend if you don't tell us any of what you're goin' through? Tell it to us, all of it!"

"It will help you feel better," Adrian agreed.

Zitan looked up at them intently, his expression changing abruptly. "You wanna hear the entire truth? The entire, painful, sinful truth?"

"Yes, we do," Zeth replied firmly. "I want to know what you know."

Zitan shook his head as if in telling the story he would be punished, but began.

He principally told them the same story that Breanna was telling to Zaria, but from third-person point of view. As he began to explain how Wisteria had forced Meryuu to take her along, Breanna and Zaria burst in, their weapons held out.

"We're here to help!" Breanna shouted, and then glanced about, drinking in the situation. She brought her arms down and narrowed her eyes. "Zitan…you're telling them…what happened?" she asked. He nodded and looked away. "Everyone has a right to know what really happened," he muttered. "Want to continue, Breanna? What happens next should be your field of proficiency, anyhow."

Breanna scowled but came over and sat down, and Zaria plopped down beside her. Everyone looked at Breanna in intense curiosity.

"Yes, I know you all know who Meryuu is now," she snapped, and then quickly softened. "And what Meryuu did…"

Tide looked up as Meryuu approached him. He stood up, preparing to leave.

_"Please don't go, Tide. I must exchange a few words with thee," Meryuu implored. _

"_There's nothing to say, Meryuu," he said curtly. "You go on with your business and I go on with mine. I just pray that you had the decency to keep a secret."_

_Meryuu looked away shamefully._

_"Couldn't keep it to yourself, Meryuu? I'm not surprised. Not surprised at all," Tide sneered, his voice dripping with disgust._

_"Please, I beseech thee, Tidal! Listen to my words! I have come to speak to thee but one last time! I pray thee doth listen!"_

_Tide sighed, relenting again. Meryuu hurried up to him. "General Tidal, you know where we all stand-"_

_"Do you mind getting to the point please, I have business to attend to," Tide interrupted as politely as possible._

_"Tidal, Miefe knoweth of thy accompaniment with Artemis," Meryuu said bluntly. "Miefe wishes to see thee dead, but I do not wish so, so this is thy last chance to-"_

_"I should have known this would be the kind of thing you wanted to talk about," Tide cut her off coldly. "I don't know why I keep on listening to you again and again, Meryuu."_

_He turned to walk away, but his path was blocked._

_"It's been awhile, Tide," Wisteria said crisply, looking as breezy and beautiful as ever._

_"Wisteria," Tide muttered, his mood darkening further. "What do you want of me now?"_

_"Only what I've always wanted from you, what so many others have coveted, and what you have only given to that Rynn Locke of yours. I must have what others cannot. You have given me what you have given many others, but not what I truly covet."_

_"And what may that be?" Tide asked somberly. "Forget it, Wisteria. Life goes on as time goes by, and there's nothing to be done to change the past. I know that whatever you want, you want so you can be envied, never because you genuinely want it. I know you better than you think, Wisteria."_

_"Is that so wrong, to want to be envied?" Wisteria cried, tears welling up in her eyes._

_Tide paused. "Yes," he finally answered. "If it's for your reasons. Leave me be, Wisteria."_

_"Wisteria shall not be refused!" she cried out furiously, grabbing for Tide and pulling him in towards her. "You shall pay for being so insolent," she hissed._

_Meryuu was immobile as she watched Wisteria. All along, Wisteria had sought after Tide's affection as well. And for what? As a trophy to be envied? Meryuu internally shook her head. No, she could never do that…but it didn't change the fact that Meryuu could not move a muscle._

_"You truly want to duel with words, Wisteria?" Tide said softly. "My lady will be here shortly, I suggest you make off. You are not worthy to see her."_

_"Impossible," Wisteria replied, seemingly unaffected. "No one is greater than Wisteria the beautiful. Especially not scum like Rynn Locke whom you are only using to scratch an itch, Tide. Don't think I don't know what you want from a creature like that who has nothing worthwhile to give. No one is more worthwhile or beautiful than I."_

_"I see," came an additional, serene voice. Wisteria whipped around and saw Rynn approaching. She gasped._

_"Tide, you were late, so I came instead," Rynn explained. She turned to Wisteria. "Yes, no one can be more beautiful than Wisteria the beautiful, and I must admit, Wisteria, thy beauty surpasses that of even Meryuu. But I have another statement to make. Any other breathing mortal within a two-mile radius of here is ten times as beautiful as thee on the inside. Thou art rotten through and through."_

_Meryuu managed to suppress a smile as she could virtually see Wisteria's blood boiling. Rynn took Tide's hand. "It's time for us to go, go far from here," she said softly. _

_Tide smiled down at her. "It was time long ago." Right before they both walked off, Rynn turned back to Meryuu and gave her the sweetest smile Meryuu had ever seen, a smile full of love and understanding. That smile sent darts shooting into her heart._

_The sudden pain inside her chest caught Meryuu by surprise as se realized the consequences of her actions. Oh, what had she done? How could she have betrayed ones so innocent such as Rynn and Tide? She deeply regretted her rashly impulsive actions, but she couldn't do anything about that now._

_"I'm sorry, Rynn, Tide," she whispered, tears streaming down her lovely cheeks. "I'm so sorry."_

_"What are you blubbering to yourself about now?" Wisteria screeched at her as Rynn and Tide walked away together. "They're getting away! DO SOMETHING, FOOL!" she shrieked._

_The tears wouldn't stop rushing down Meryuu's cheeks. "I'm so, so, sorry," she choked out. "Please…I beg of thee…Tidal…forgive me, for I have erred greatly."_

_"GO!" Wisteria continued to screech. "GO, GO, GO!"_

_Meryuu's heart beat faster and faster, her pulse quickening, blood rushing to her cheeks. She turned to the hysterical Wisteria and gazed at her, not really seeing her._

_What did Meryuu have left now? Not her self-respect, not her honor, and least of all the love and trust of those she cared for. She had nothing. Nothing was left for her here. She crumpled down to her knees, continuing to sob._

_In a blur she could see Wisteria opening and closing her mouth rapidly, but she couldn't make sense of what Wisteria was spewing out. Everything was unintelligible. Finally Meryuu felt her muscles lose all tension and everything went black as her head hit the ground._

"That's it?" Cat cried blatantly.

Breanna threw a scowl in her direction. "Hold your fire," she said. "It's still not finished. I wasn't dead yet, I just passed out. Don't forget, Wisteria was still there, and Wisteria would never get rid of any creature whom she thought might be of use to her. Wisteria still needed me."

"So what happens next?" Cat asked impatiently.

"I was about to tell you until you interrupted!" Breanna snapped. Cat sat back, rebuked.

"Go ahead then," she said meekly.

"But I'll just be telling you now, from here on things aren't only going to be from my point of view. A lot happens next," Breanna informed them all.

"Let me tell this part instead," Zaria put in, and started to speak.

As soon as their private clearing came into view, Rynn and Tide picked up their pace and ran to their secret haven. When they were safely inside, Rynn turned to Tide, her eyes showing her fear.

"Something must be amiss," she cried. "Meryuu had an expression of remorse in her face, and bringing Wisteria along…"

_"I know," Tide replied, his own heart beating with dread. "If Wisteria is here, then that means Miefe must know of something, and Wisteria was there when he found out."_

_Rynn shook her head. "What could Miefe possibly have found out that he already doesn't know? What could Meryuu have told him? Unless…" she turned around and gazed at Tide, her eyes wide with shock._

_"No, it can't be," she whispered fervently, shaking her head. "It can't be. Meryuu couldn't have known."_

_Tide's eyes filled up with tears as he stepped up to Rynn and embraced her firmly, not saying a word. There was nothing to be said that wasn't already known._

_Rynn kept on shaking her head in denial as the stormy tears of realization coursed down her cheeks. If Miefe knew her real name…and if Miefe knew how to use it…then…it would be the end of Rynn. She would lose all her powers. She would become a simple girl, no special abilities or talents whatsoever._

_The sound of wolves howling broke Rynn and Tide out of their reverie._

_"The time has come to part," Rynn whispered hoarsely. "It would be better for you if you should not see me again."_

_"What are you talking about, Rynn?" Tide exclaimed. "How would that help matters in any way? If anything, I must be by your side to protect you!"_

_Rynn shook her head, her lips pressed together. "Nothing may save me once Miefe figures out the key, which he surely will," she replied. "If you stand by me then you shall be destroyed as well."_

_"Then so be it!" Tide cried, tempestuous with anger and sadness mixed into one._

_Rynn shook her head again. "No, Tide," she whispered. "This is goodbye. You must promise never to think of me again. You must go back to being a loyal Being in every way that you once were."_

_Tide was enraged. "Rynn, you know that's not possible! Don't expect the impossible from me, Rynn, please don't. You know I can't do it," he whimpered, his face crumpling._

_It aggrieved Rynn's heart so to see Tide in such a state. _It's all because of me_, she thought direly as she wordlessly turned away from him. She felt terrible doing so, but it was necessary to prevent his downfall, for she knew she was lost. Each step that took her farther away from him felt like she was wrenching her heart of out his warm, secure embrace. The tears came faster, stronger now, but Rynn ignored them as she raced into the wood, going as fast as her feet could take her. The brambles and branches did not clear the way for her passage, and they stuck into Rynn's skin, hair, and clothing, scratching unmercifully._

_By now Rynn was crying openly as a slight drizzle began, but she continued to attempt to find her way. She tripped over a tree stump and found herself in a bemired ditch. She struggled to pull herself back up but almost cried out when she felt the excruciating pain in her ankle. She plopped back down in the wet earth, never feeling sorrier for herself. "Help me, Princess Louvia," she wailed, crying like a lost child._

_"RYNN! Rynn, are you there? Rynn! Can you hear me?" she heard from only a few meters away. It was Tide._

_Rynn ached to cry out to him, to have him come and rescue her again, but she stiffened her resolve and kept quiet, tenderly rubbing her ankle._

You don't want me now, Tide, and I don't want you! All I will cause for the both of us is devastation! I'm a scourge! Don't love me…

_As soon as sufficient time had passed, Rynn slowly managed to pull herself into a standing position, her entire body covered with dirt and mud, sweat and rain mingling on her skin._

_The rain was pouring down now, and the intermittent claps of thunder frightened Rynn, but she managed to limp to the shelter of a large tree. Oh, she knew how perilous it was to be near a tree during a lightning storm, but Rynn didn't care anymore._

_She cried softly to herself, loathing her own self-pity more than ever as the pain in her ankle crept up to the rest of her leg, the rain drumming harder and harder._

_All of a sudden, a figure strode out of the foliage, and whoever it was strode over to her and swept her up._

_Rynn cried childishly and struggled to break free, but then at length gave up, debilitated and chilled to the bone. Only then did she look at the countenance of her savior and recognize that it was Tide, his ordinarily immaculately styled hair in disarray, wet and matted._

_She was too weak to argue or demand anything anymore, so she simply closed her eyes as he turned on his wings and flew through the rain, to a nearby empty barn that was halfway burned down. At least it was shelter from the storm._

_Tide slowly laid her down on one of the haystacks as the lightning flashed ominously outside. He produced a small cloth and began tenderly wiping the grime off her dirt-streaked face._

_"Rynn, Rynn," he said softly. "You don't know how much you worried me. Did you know that you've been out there stumbling about alone for four hours already? I've been searching for you for four hours."_

_"Back at camp…" Rynn managed to say. Tide shook his head. "No, I can't take you back now. Wait a few days first, and then we both can go back to your camp and explain. And announce…our betrothal," he finished, removing the silver band around his finger and placing it in her palm._

_More tears seeped out of Rynn's eyes and trickled down her cheeks as she slowly shook her head. She tried to give the ring back to Tide, but he was too absorbed in wrapping her ankle with a strip of cloth he had torn off his clothing._

I don't deserve this ring. I'm not worthy enough to accept it.

_After Tide had finished wrapping her ankle, he came beside her and lay down on the hay._

_"We're stuck here for now anyway," he said quietly. "Nothing we can do now except wait."_

Wait for what?_ Rynn thought. _Wait to die? Wait to seal our own doom? No, it's better for you to stay away from me and go abide with your own kind.

Rynn couldn't find the strength to speak. She stared up at the ceiling of the barn, her mind hollow.

"I know what we can do now. We'll wait here; wait here for everything to end. The war will end, and we'll still be here. Miefe won't find you here. We'll just wait here until it's all over, all right? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just live like this forever? Just you and me."

_How she wished it really was that simple. No, she would be doomed no matter where she was. It didn't matter if she traveled halfway across the planet. She was shielded nowhere._

_She felt Tide reaching for her and allowed him to draw her close, her resoluteness weakening. She turned to him, using her last ounce of strength to utter a few words before falling asleep._

_"Yes. We'll stay here…until it's time to fight."_

Breanna kept her head down as she swiped away at the tears falling out of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Zaria," she muttered, angry with herself.

Zaria turned to her, her own face covered with tears. "It's all right, Breanna," she whispered. "It all turned out for the best, didn't it? That night…it was sweeter than anything I had ever known."

"Go on, finish," Zack prodded. "I wanna hear the rest."

Breanna took a deep breath. "All right."

Meryuu slowly opened one eye and looked around. She was back in Miefe's headquarters, in a room that reeked of wisteria. She pulled herself up into sitting position and saw Wisteria gazing down at her, scorn written all over her face.

_"Wisteria?" she asked hesitantly, uncertain of what to say._

_Wisteria merely shook her head in repugnance and departed. She returned momentarily, this time with Miefe._

_"So you've awoken after two days of slumber, Lady Meryuu," Miefe said jovially. "Your information has been of great use to me, so I have decided to reward you by giving you the honors of performing the ceremony."_

_"Ceremony? What ceremony?"_

_Miefe laughed in his raucous way. "Why, the ceremony to seal the doom of the Moon Maiden Artemis, my dear. Don't tell me you've forgotten the ritual."_

_Wisteria looked down at Meryuu complacently._

_"I refuse!" Meryuu cried, realizing what he meant. "I shall not betray my comrades any further!"_

_Wisteria's expression turned malicious as she leaned down to Meryuu. "You better do what we say, or many more shall pay the price," she threatened. She smiled. "What say…we summon Dolph to perform the ritual instead? After telling him of what you have done and then killing you both afterwards? And then maybe after that we shall seek out all of your kin and slaughter them as well. My, my, what a busy day it would be!"_

_"NO!" Meryuu cried. She trembled, hating herself for what she had done and what she was about to do. "All right, Wisteria, I shall perform the abominable rite," she spat._

_Miefe's smile grew wider. "You're making the right choice this time, Meryuu." He handed a heavy pouch to her._

_"In this pouch is the Being Medallion of Destruction," he informed her. "All you have to do it hold the pouch and repeat what I say. It's quite a simple procedure."_

_"If it's so simple, then why doth thou not perform the procedure thyself?" she shot back, her eyes flashing. "Simpleton!"_

_Miefe's expression grew menacing. "Shut up and follow what I say, you inutile wench." He grinned. "It's only entertaining if the one performing the ceremony in undergoing emotional torture in the process," he said casually._

_Meryuu's eyes filled with tears, but she held them back. Perhaps if she didn't put her heart into the ceremony…it wouldn't work properly. She closed her eyes momentarily and opened them again._

_"Thee may commence, Miefe."_

_Miefe smirked as he began. "To the nether and beyond, destruction come forth."_

_"To the nether and beyond, destruction…come…forth."_

_"Wilt the hidden powers of the name I set before thee."_

_"Wilt…the hidden powers…of the name…I set before thee."_

_"The name of Ryonn Rinsae Locke shall from henceforth be overwrought!"_

_"…The name…of…Ryonn…Rinsae…Locke…shall from henceforth…be…overwrought."_

_"Pour the power forth to Miefe following the death of the possessor."_

_"Pour the power forth to…Miefe…following the…death…of the possessor."_

_"Finished," Miefe declared grandly, his slick smile wider than ever._

_"Finished," Meryuu echoed, her heart beating in triple beats. The blood drained from her face as the full realization of what she had just done finally hit her._

_"Oh shut up, fool. He was telling you that the whole damn thing is over," Wisteria snapped, snatching the pouch away from Meryuu._

"I remember that exact moment," Zaria remarked. "I felt as if half the life had been drained out of me. I was so confused…I didn't know what had hit me…" her expression darkened. "Then I realized."

_As another surge of pain hit her, she clenched her teeth and lay back on the pile of hay that she had come to recognize as her bed._

By now, most likely everyone is wondering where I am and what has become of me,_ Rynn thought. She hoped that her disappearance would not stir troubles among the troops. Rynn closed her eyes. _Zelda, Illius and Castor, I'm depending on you to keep everything glued together. This is my end.

She knew. Oh, she knew what had just happened. The mystical forces that had been cast upon her during conception had just been ripped apart from her, and the power of her secret name had been drawn away. Her life force was slowly but steadily fading. Would it fade completely until she faded into nonexistence, or would she be left half a shadow of a human? Rynn groaned again as yet another wave of pain throbbed throughout her entire being. She took deep breaths, trying to stop herself from passing out.

_A few moments later Tide flew back into their barn shelter, his arms filled with wild berries and other wild fruits. He set them down proudly._

_"Didn't do too bad, huh," he boasted, "couldn't having been living in camps with rationed meals for so long without learning how to improvise."_

_His unmitigated smile disappeared when he saw that Rynn was grimacing and he rushed over to her side, his blue-tinted grey eyes filled with concern._

_"It's finally happened," Rynn whispered faintly. Tide's virile tanned face turned ashen. He sat there looking aghast and forlorn, until he abruptly grabbed her hand and brought it up to his heart._

_"My heart beats for the both of us, and as long as this heart continues to beat, I will protect you with everything I can, beyond my life. Take my life force if you must."_

_Rynn turned away quickly before the tears could escape from her eyes._

_"No," she replied hoarsely. "We'll be safe here."_

Zaria stopped talking and looked down at her lap. "That was basically all there is to know about…before the final day. On that day…on that day…" she faltered, turning away.

"After that, Meryuu became but a shadow of herself," Zitan continued monotonously.

It was as if Meryuu's spirit no longer existed. For the next few days, Meryuu simply followed Miefe's every order and demand mechanically, analogous to an android. Wisteria seemed amused with her behavior at first, but then became somewhat agitated.

_"What's wrong with you now?" she shouted at Meryuu. Meryuu didn't reply, but simply sat there, looking up at Wisteria._

_"Are you still alive or what?" Wisteria demanded. Meryuu continued to remain quiescent and taciturn. Finally Wisteria raised her hands in defeat and stomped away._

"But that didn't stop me from still feeling immense pain when…when I saw Tide and Rynn being burned at stake," Breanna whispered. "And then after that…I don't remember."

Zaria smiled. "None of us really remember what happened after that."

_Rynn opened her eyes to see Tide being restrained by about six Being soldiers. She sat up with a start. "Tide!" she cried out, as three more Being soldiers grabbed her from behind and roughly pulled her arms behind her._

_But Tide didn't answer. He couldn't answer. His head had lolled forward and the rest of him looked battered and bruised._

_"Tide!" Rynn cried again, her cries turning into wails. "Noooo! Don't take us now, please," she begged. "I've lost everything but Tide now…we're of no harm to you! Leave us be! There's nothing I can do to harm you anymore! Please, don't punish Tide for what I-"_

_She was cut off abruptly as she felt a harsh blow on her lower jaw, and she vaguely heard rude, abrasive remarks being directed to her and Tide._

Rynn gave up her struggling and let her fatigued body collapse, the three Being soldiers keeping her in standing position.

Tide, Tide, It's all because of me that you have to go through all this suffering,_ Rynn thought, her misery too arid for teardrops._

This couldn't be happening. No. Not to her. Her life was supposed to be perfect, ideal. She was the Moon Maiden Artemis! Oh Divine Ones, where are you when things like this are happening? Princess Louvia! Prince Claude! Save Tide from the folly of loving me, I pray! Don't let such a pure and loving soul be punished for my karma! Or is it my karma? Is this my destiny? Weren't we destined for greatness? When are we to achieve it? How are we to achieve it? Deliver us…

_Tide managed to pull his head back up; the abrasions on his face making the blood pulsate strongly. His heart nearly shattered when he saw that Rynn too had been captured. _I couldn't protect her when she needed me most_, he thought shamefully, hanging his head_. I'm useless. I'm no good if I can't even protect the one that I love most. No good for anything. Worthless. Tide, you are nothing but a worthless fool who thought you could do so much more than you actually can.

_He lifted his head again. "WHY?" he howled vociferously, reminiscent to a wounded animal in deathly pain. The soldiers restraining him could do nothing but cringe. Among the soldiers in the group attacking Rynn and Tide's hideout was Tide's childhood friend Dolph, who shamefully kept his face hidden._

_Rynn cried out as the Being soldiers handled her violently. Dolph, overwrought with himself, marched over to them, now infuriated. "Keep your hands off her!" he shouted with impetuosity that rivaled Tide's. One of the soldiers roughly shoved Rynn over to Dolph, who caught her in his arms before she toppled over. _

_After throwing a dirty look in the other soldier's direction, he gently held her up and walked her over to Tide. "I'm sorry for everything," he whispered in her ear, and she weakly turned to him, surprised by this sudden act of humility by one of Miefe's soldiers. Tide had not yet recognized Dolph, and for that Dolph was grateful. He felt ashamed of what he was doing, and what he had yet to do. _Has the world finally come to this?_ Dolph thought painfully. He stayed directly behind Tide and Rynn, as to monitor the behavior of the other soldiers but also not to be seen._

_The last thing Rynn saw before she lost awareness was the gentle face of a Being soldier who had seemed reluctant to perform his duty. She wondered why as she drifted into unconsciousness._

_Rynn awoke to the sound of someone's torturous cries of ghastly pain. Someone was being beaten. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that it was Tide, being beaten right in front of her._

_"NOOO!" she screeched, springing up from her mattress. Tide's tormentors immediately shoved her back coarsely. She scrambled up again but this time was held down by yet another soldier. "Beware the wrath of the Divine Ones for inflicting suffering on a virtuous creature!" she intoned, not caring about her own safety as she continued to struggle. Tide managed to lift his head up to look at her, and Rynn gasped when she saw how battered his face was, and the rest of his body had obviously been whipped incessantly. The light from his wings flickered on and off. "No," she whispered feebly, trying to cast a cure spell on him using the last ounce of her strength. It didn't work._

_She could see Tide's lips attempting to form her name, his voice not succeeding in uttering a syllable. She shook her head vehemently. How could they be so cruel, so cruel to someone whom had once been their superior? She scanned the faces of the soldiers to look for the one whom had seen compassionate earlier, but that particular one was not there._

_Rynn bowed her head down and whimpered like a wounded animal, all her pride gone now. She looked back up and winced as she saw Tide getting whipped yet another time on the back, the blatant pain on his face, grasping her heart and squeezing it. Rynn sobbed softly, despising herself for causing all this pain._

_"Bring them out to the battlefield!" she heard someone from outside shouting. Rynn was barely aware of her surroundings as she and Tide were dragged out of the camp into the midst of the battlefield, grenades and bombs going off everywhere. The only thing on her mind was relief that Tide was no longer being beaten._

_She saw a blur of faces, some looking content, and some that were much farther away looking appalled as she was hauled up and brought to a platform. She could also see that one kindly soldier from earlier. All of a sudden she snapped into full consciousness, and looked to the side to see Tide staring at her with eyes full of solicitude. He followed her gaze to that one soldier, and his mouth dropped open. Apparently he recognized him. "Dolph," he murmured._

_Dolph focused his gaze on them, his pupils growing smaller and smaller, and in a sudden, swift movement he leaped towards them and began untying Tide's bonds. He managed to untie Tide's hands before three other soldiers restrained him._

_Tide moved quickly, reaching over to untie Rynn before taking hold of her around the waist and leaping into the air, his burned out wings working their best to keep them both aloft._

_Alas, their spontaneous freedom was not to last, for their speed was no match to the other Being soldiers who were in top condition and only had to carry themselves aloft. The soldiers easily overtook them, but they had a difficult time prying Tide and Rynn apart, until finally Tide's wings gave out and he gave up his struggle, his heart nearly cracking as he did so._

_They were brought down to the platform, and on Miefe's enraged orders they were immediately tied to the stakes on which they were to be burned. Ironically, the hay from their barn shelter was the hay that was scattered about their feet to be the fuel for their untimely deaths._

_"Hear ye, hear ye!" proclaimed Miefe, his accent deep. Wisteria stood by his side with her habitual smirk pasted on her face._

_"All who are gathered, Humans and Beings, look this way!"_

_All of Rynn and Tide's comrades gazed on in horror, all being too dumbstruck to make a move to do anything. They seemed to be hypnotized by Miefe's spell. Even the great trio, Zelda, Illius, and Castor, could do nothing at that moment._

_"Witness my power!" Miefe crowed. "I have two very important creatures! A former Being general who turned out to be a traitor, Ex-General Tidal Alexandros Endrocius! Ryonn Rinsae Locke the Moon Maiden Artemis, the Humans' self-proclaimed savior whom has amounted to nothing but a fatal weakness for the enemy! Behold my great power in having captured these two! Keep your eyes this way to witness one of the greatest shows of supremacy in history! Watch General Tidal and the Moon Maiden Artemis BURN!"_

_Miefe nodded to a soldier beside him, who rushed to do his bidding, obediently setting fire to the hay. Out of the corner of her eye Rynn could see Dolph shouting angrily until he was cruelly knocked unconscious. She twisted her head in Tide's direction, the droplets of liquid filling her eyes…_

The aggrieved expression of Zaria's face gradually dissipated. "I suppose it was just as well, for the moment the very life was being burnt away from me, Princess Louvia came to everyone's rescue, and that battle was won by the humans. Our bodies were preserved and sent through time and space to dwell in limbo until we all were ordained to meet once and again."

All of them remained silent after Zaria had finished speaking. What was with all these revelations coming forth? All the unscrupulous secrets of the times of yore were resurfacing and being aired. Why were they the ones who would have to deal with it all? Sometimes everything simply seemed to be too much.

"A legacy of Being avarice," Adrian muttered uncharacteristically in abhorrence. Not a word was said for an entire two minutes after that. Too much was going on in all of their heads.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" they heard as a young girl was plopped directly from the sky into Zack's lap. Cat leaped up in surprise, her eyes as big as moons.

"Wh-what the hell are you doing?" she stammered, pointing at the girl. The others looked on in amazement. The girl quickly pulled herself out of Zack's lap and stood up, brushing herself off. She raised her head and looked Cat directly in the eye.

Cat peered at her, marveling at how familiar she looked, yet she knew that she had never seen the girl before. Suddenly everything fit together, as Cat scrutinized the features on the girl's face. "You're a Locke, aren't you?" she said in a softer tone, her voice thick with surprise. The girl darted her green eyes back and forth, the eyes that looked so similar to Zaria's and Zitan's. She looked timid and anxious, her reddish brown hair whipping back and forth.

The girl's gaze rested on Zaria, and her mouth opened slightly in awe. "Zaria," she said simply.

Zaria nodded, confused. "Yes, that's me."

The girl stood there with her lips pursed, as if debating with herself whether she was to say anything more.

"Are you Aya?" Cat blurted out. The girl's head whipped towards Cat, her eyes widened. She crinkled her brow and turned away again, still not uttering a syllable.

"No, she's Rena. Rena Ceres," Zaria answered before the girl could do anything else. The girl slowly turned around to look at Zaria again, who narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're Rena, aren't you? I was told about you…"

The girl raised her chin up proudly, her lip trembling. "Yes, I'm Rena," she responded. She blinked twice. "Wait." She seemed to withdraw into silent dialogue with herself again.

Fuuko leaned over to Zeth to whisper, "Does she have a multiple personality disorder or something?" He simply shrugged in reply.

Rena became animated again. "How did you become aware of me, Zaria?"

Zaria's eyes remained narrowed. "I have my ways…Rena. If you're really Rena, then you must have Aya with you."

Rena looked even more surprised, and retreated once more. In a moment she returned to normal. "Yes," she replied brightly. "Would you like to speak with her? She knows much more than I. And she can say what I cannot say without crying," Rena finished slowly, her lip trembling and her eyes reddening.

Zaria gave her a piercing gaze, as if evaluating her then and there then finally broke into a smile and nodded. "I'd love to meet Aya, if she doesn't mind showing herself."

Rena gave her a small smile and suddenly her features began shifting slightly, becoming sharper and clearer to the eye, her eye color lightening more than a few shades and her hair lengthening considerably and darkening into a color between Zaria's and Fuuko's but being strangely iridescent. She had a smirk on her face that reminded Zaria of Wisteria's smirk as she remembered it, but not even a fraction as derisive. She was thankful that Wisteria had not been sent to this day and age! She would have been quite a force to reckon with!

"Hello," Aya said simply, smiling sweetly. Her smile lit up her entire visage, making her look even more stunning than she already was. "Nice to finally meet you in person, Zaria Locke," she said in a syrupy sweet voice, extending her hand.

Zaria took it cautiously and shook it. "It's nice to meet you, Aya. I didn't think I would be able to contact you until much later."

Aya laughed lightly, her perfect features brightening. Out of the corner of her eye that Zeth, Zack, Zitan, and Adrian all had their wide-eyed orbs riveted on Aya. "Well, it seems that we'll be seeing each other quite often from now on," she replied. "I understand that you were told to summon me after you have found the eighth warrior of Mage, correct?"

"Yes," Zaria said, looking perplexed. "That's what I was told by…by Princess Louvia and Prince Claude," she said slowly, looking at Aya's response.

Aya merely laughed again. "I know what you're thinking, Zaria. Don't worry, I want to help you as much as you want me to help you because I know that in the end it would be better if you were the side to succeed, don't you agree? I know all about Princess Louvia and Prince Locke, not to worry. I've known them for quite a while, in fact. And I know how important it is that we all cooperate, especially with the circumstances as they are."

"Oh, is that so?" Breanna asked impassively, eyeing Aya warily.

Aya nodded, unperturbed. "I'll be keeping contact with you all on a regular basis, but in terms of moving around, I think it would be best if we went our separate ways, for there are many things to be accomplished," she clarified, her expression earnest.

"So what's this thing that Rena can't talk about that you're supposed to tell us?" Cat finally burst.

Aya's expression turned grave. "It's about Rena's former captor," she began. "And how his existence can be the cause of the fall of Northern Nova."

"What did you say?" Cat exclaimed incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

Aya fixed her hypnotic gaze on Cat. "Rena's former captor was actually Rena's childhood friend who was betrothed to her when the small farming town that she lived in was destroyed. After they were captured, he was brainwashed and she was imprisoned and they used him to perform experiments on her. He's quite brilliant, in fact."

"So who is this fellow you're talking about?" Zeth inquired, getting to the point.

Aya raised her brows. "I thought that you all would have figured it out by now."

"It's Prince Logan, isn't it?" remarked Fuuko quietly. The others stared at her.

"Yes, his full name is Logan Stonewall," Aya said meticulously. "The young prince who was kidnapped in his childhood years."

Zack grimaced. "And you say that Logan was brainwashed by the Toki and performed hazardous experiments on Rena, the very woman he was engaged to? How did the Toki manage to do that?"

Her eyes seemed to darken with anger, the immortal glow turning fiery. "They have great power," she said pensively.

Zack raised his brow. "I see," he replied. "Well, I guess being the despicable but loaded creatures they all are, they would find money to hire people who could do stuff like that, huh."  
"Something like that," Aya agreed vaguely. "Rena was quite near dying from the chemicals that had been pumped into her body, but fortunately I was able to come through and help her escape." She darted her gaze away. "It seems like Logan's consciousness is not yet completely gone, for when we were breaking out of that horrid lab he seemed to become himself again for a brief moment."

"So there's a still a chance that Logan can return completely?" Zaria inserted.

Aya's eyes narrowed. "I suppose so, but if he does return, it has to be timed and planned perfectly or else all is lost, if you're concocting up some strategy. Rena is still quite sensitive about the subject, so I suggest you don't mention it directly to her," Aya advised them. "Let me tell you everything now."

"At this very moment, the Toki are searching for Rena, or perhaps their main goal is to capture me. It's risky for Rena and I to be any one place for more than a day, for in her body there is a microscopic bugging device that can give away her location at all times. That's the main reason why we cannot travel with you. Prince Logan, whom is now known as Professor Stonewall, is traveling with them. Pretty soon, they are going to be approaching the capital of Northern Nova, the Crystal City Denzeling. There is a great chance that Professor Stonewall might be faced with his true father and there might even be a war stirred, so Rena and I have to attempt the distract them with our flitting about the continent."

"Isn't there any way to remove this gadget?" Zeth questioned.

Aya shook her head. "No. Not without the proper machinery. And it's not necessary yet."

"That's actually a good plan," Fuuko said, nodding, "but can you handle it? The rapid transit, I mean."

"Of course!" Aya said indignantly. "I am a tangible spirit, a cursed one at that! Us cursed spirits always have special powers that normal spirits don't!"

Aya pursed her lips. "Well, that's all I'll be telling you folks for now. I know you're all on quite a tight schedule, so I suggest that you start looking for that Crystal of Tenebatos." She made as if to leave.

"Wait!" Zaria cried. "Do you have any idea where that crystal might be?"

Aya smiled shrewdly. "I thought you'd never ask. It's not far from here. In fact, I'll take you all to the place to save you some time," she finished, and in a blink of an eye, the scenery about them had all changed.

Zaria stared at their surroundings in disbelief. "How did you do that?" she asked Aya, bewildered.

"I told you, I'm a cursed spirit! I can do the impossible!" Aya said cheerily. "Bye folks, see you all in a while! Rena says bye too!" She abruptly vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of her presence.

Zaria turned back to the others, still somewhat frazzled. "Um, I guess we start looking for that crystal," she said, shrugging.

They were in a massive but eerily dim chamber full of some sort of nests. The entire place was is disarray, and looked as if a hurricane had recently passed through. "I don't even know where to begin," Zaria wailed.

"I know this place!" piped up Kupo, whose presence had been forgotten. Kupo leaped out of Fuuko's pack and flew through the chamber blissfully.

"This Kupo's home!" Kupo exclaimed. Kupo slowed and settled down in one of the nests. "Kupo born here with brothers and sisters."

"It's a Kog nest," Fuuko breathed. "That makes some sense. The Kogs are essentially the emblem of Tenebatos, so the Crystal of Tenebatos would obviously be in their nesting grounds."

"So does Kupo know where the Crystal would be?" Adrian asked inquisitively.

"I'm sure he does, just the way other little talking animals know everything about the world," Breanna said scathingly.

"Let's just stop arguing and start looking," Zaria pleaded, attempting to dodge another conflict. Without warning, Kupo began making high-pitched noises and was jumping up and down frantically. It flew back to Fuuko and circled around her head twice before ramming itself into her arms.

Kupo lifted its head up to gaze at Fuuko. "Fuuko Fog, there is something in Kupo's nest that wasn't there before!"

"Could it be the Crystal?" Cat asked eagerly, her eyes wide.

"Let's see," Fuuko responded as she ambled over to Kupo's nest. She peered inside. "Looks like something's in here," she announced. Cat jumped up and down.

"Whoo-hoo, we found the Crystal!" she sang.

"Not so fast, don't get too overjoyed just yet." Fuuko reached her hand in the nest and brought a large shimmering object out and held it up.

"A medallion!" she exclaimed in astonishment. Indeed, it was a medallion, a bronze one with an elaborate carving of a Kog on it.

"Awww, just a medallion?" Cat bleated, her voice dripping with disappointment. Fuuko was about to drop the medallion back into the nest when Zeth darted over and snatched it out of her hands.

"Wait!" he asserted. "We might need this to find that Crystal!" Fuuko's bright sapphire eyes filled with comprehension.

"Everyone check all the nests for any more medallions!" she instructed.

They began sifting through the messy piles that had once been nests of the Kogs, Cat continually complaining about the grime she was getting on her hands.

"Where are all the Kogs living now?" Adrian speculated. "What happened here anyway? It looks like there was an ambush or something." He turned to Kupo expectantly. "Well?"

"They're all gone," Kupo said sadly, "and they left Kupo here all alone." Cat ran over and hugged Kupo comfortingly; glad to have an excuse to stop searching.

"Where'd they all go?" Adrian pursued.

"Kupo doesn't know, but Kupo thinks that they went back to native planet," Kupo answered. "But Kupo want to stay with Fuuko Fog! Kupo not go back to see them!"

"You can stay with us as long as you like, Kupo," Zaria declared. "However, right now we really need to find that crystal. It's essential to our…purpose." She glanced sidelong at Zeth and then suddenly looked past him at something she saw twinkling in the dim light of the chamber.

She ran over to that particular nest and reached inside it, and sbrought out another medallion. She held it up, grinning. It was a silver medallion with the same carving of the Kog on it.

"Oh, I see," Cat said eloquently. "I suppose the next one we locate will be gold, correct?"

"Don't jump to conclusions too fast," Zeth warned, his countenance dimming. "Beings weren't exactly attracted to gold the way Humans are, for in their home planet gold is quite a common commodity. For them, there are many other much more valuable precious metals. I should be in a position to know."

The others continued to sift through the Kog nests, searching. Zitan kept his eyes cast downward as he halfheartedly shuffled through the nests. He was grateful that the limelight was no longer on him, and that the topic involving his recollections and been forgotten for the interim. Nothing was yet resolved and yet he had no inkling on how to settle this issue. It was given that his relationship with Zaria as siblings would never be the same again, but he sought to have everyone disregard his earlier behavior, to forget the entire occurrence. He still didn't know as to whether his visions and hallucinations essentially meant anything or not, for they were quite indistinct in his mind.

Zitan came to an agreement with himself. If anything else were mentioned about his involvement with the Interplanetary War, then he would simply say that he had been hearing too much from Zeth and was having strange delusions that really meant nothing at all, and he had been somewhat confused, that was all. _Yes,_ he thought with satisfaction. That was an ideal elucidation. Just forget the entire incident happened.

_And I must forget everything as well,_ he warned himself. _Don't let yourself believe anything that would make matters even more complicated._ Keep things simple and succinct, and everything would be under control. In this life, Zaria had fallen in love with Zeth, not necessarily General Tide. Zeth was the one she loved now, and no one else. As he worked, he caught Zaria staring at him diffidently. He attempted to avoid her direct gaze, but he was already burning with embarrassment. She moved slightly nearer to him.

"Please Zaria, don't say anything about it. It was all just a bizarre error, all right?" he pleaded in the softest, quietest tone imaginable. "Yes, I'm you're twin brother, but let's leave it at that and not dwell on the issue unless it cries out to be dwelled on."

Zaria apprehensively nodded, for she knew exactly what Zitan was telling her. This issue would have to be dealt with one way or another, but perhaps it would be more appropriate to wait for it to resurface itself instead of digging it out. Oh, she knew, she knew what twins born of the opposite gender meant, but it was all too mystifying to piece together. Perhaps later, when the details really needed to be revealed…

But for now they had to focus on accomplishing their immediate goal. There was so much to do, so much to fathom, so much at stake. Zaria took a deep breath, endeavoring to clear her mind of all but their immediate, immediate task. Obtain that third medallion…hopefully the last medallion. It would make sense for there to be three medallions, for the Beings tended to arrange things in triads.

"It's just not here!" Cat complained after another hour of searching, thoroughly frustrated.

Zaria's expression was stricken. "It has to be," she muttered. She pawed insanely through the nest she was examining. "It has to be here," she repeated, her voice lowered to a whisper.

Adrian came up behind her and reached around her to pull her wrists up. "Zaria, we've scoured the entire nesting chamber," he said mildly. "Be sensible. We all know that it's not where we found the other two medallions."

"At least now that we know where it's not, we can start searching somewhere else," Fuuko said judiciously.

Zaria shook her head fervently. "No," she declared. "I know it's in here. I can sense that it's in here. We just have to find it." She began pacing about the floor. "There must be some sort of puzzle we have to solve first." She nodded affirmatively. "Yes, that's it. There's a challenge we have to figure out."

Breanna struggled to hold back her increasing agitation. "And what might that challenge be?" she said gratifyingly.

"I don't know, that's what we have to decipher," Zaria countered. She stood in stasis, deep in contemplation.

"Maybe we have to try to think like a Kog," Zack offered helpfully. The others turned around to stare at him. He shrugged. "Maybe."

"That's possible," Zaria agreed, coming out of her trance. "Yes, let's all think like Kogs. If you were a Kog…"

Zeth slowly backed away from the discussion circle as Zaria babbled incoherently about thinking like Kogs or Beings. He turned around to a small button that had attracted his attention earlier. He reached over and tried pressing it. Nothing happened. He stood back, scrutinizing the button. Did it have any significance in the layout of the chamber?

Unexpectedly, Zeth could faintly hear the sound of running water. He made his way to the source of the sound and when he reached it he saw a small crevice in the wall of the chamber that had water pouring out of it. The water seemed to be seeping through a small pipe that led to the other side of the chamber, where an indescribable mass of pipes and strange carvings were.

"I think I found something!" Zeth called out, and everyone except Zaria ran over. They gathered around the crevice and peered at the water.

"Doesn't look like a medallion to me," Cat said skeptically.

"Oh, no!" Zaria cried from the background.

Zeth whirled around. "What?" His curiosity was sated when he saw what Zaria was pointing to. The first traces of water had reached the intricate mass of pipes and carvings, and the structure was lighting up in a pattern.

"I think you triggered something, Zeth!" Zaria accused. She rushed over to the structure and placed one of the medallions in a slot that that light pattern had formed. As soon as she placed it, more lights lit up, and she placed the second medallion in a slot. More lights began lighting up.

Zaria gazed up at the entire structure, and she could she the outline of an hourglass that had been overturned, and the sand was rapidly seeping through.

They all turned to the entrance of the chamber in shock as an enormous slab slid down and blocked any possible exit.

"It's some sort of trap or something!" Cat shrieked, distraught.

"No, it's just a timer," Zaria inserted, her eyes narrowed. "Zeth did trigger something, and if we don't find that third medallion in a hurry, we going to be trapped here. We have no other option but to find it now. Hurry, everyone!" she cried.

They all rushed around the room, frantically searching for any trace of the third medallion. After five minutes had passed, still no one had found the medallion, and the hourglass was more than halfway filled.

"We don't have much time left," Zaria said strenuously, obviously trying to stay calm. "And now it's evidently not in a nest or in someplace accessible. Does anyone have any idea as to what we should do now?"

Zeth was standing aside, full of remorse. He shifted his gaze to Kupo, who looked strangely restless.

"Fuuko, is something wrong with Kupo?" he questioned. Fuuko gazed down at Kupo, who did indeed seem irked.

"Kupo, are you all right?" she asked. Kupo gazed up at her with eyes full of perturbation.

"Kupo is going to miss Fuuko Fog," Kupo said mournfully. "Farewell, Fuuko Fog."

"What? What are you talking about?" Fuuko demanded. "Kupo!"

Kupo had begun flying towards the structure with the medallions, its eyes fixed on the orifice of the final medallion.

"NOOO! Kupo, come back!" Fuuko cried in anguish as the full realization of what Kupo was doing finally struck her. The moment Kupo collide directly into the wall was the moment where Fuuko let out an ear-splitting cry, and she crumpled to the ground as Kupo's miniature body dispersed into the silhouette of the final medallion.

"I can't watch!" she cried wretchedly. "I CAN'T WATCH!"

No one said a single word, but speechlessly watched as the entire wall construction lit up brilliantly, the glowing lines all connecting themselves.

"What have we done?" Zaria muttered in contrition, her knees weakening. She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head lugubriously.

"The best of us has been forfeited, the one I tried to keep safe from harm!" Fuuko cried, tears trickling down her face.

Zeth solemnly stepped towards Fuuko and helped her up. She stood up and gazed into his eyes, her lips trembling. It shattered his heart to see such an ordinarily intrepid female with the teardrops glistening so luminously in her eyes.

"It was Kupo's fate, Fuuko," he said gently, placing his hands on her shoulders. Her face crumpled and she began weeping on Zeth's shoulder, her entire body wracked with her devastated sobs. "It was its fate," Zeth repeated in a whisper. "It was its fate."

Cat gingerly took the incandescent Crystal of Tenebatos out of her satchel, and blinked rapidly as the light radiating out from the crystal blinded her vision. "Sheesh, this thing is kaleidoscopic," she muttered under her breath as she slowly handed the precious jewel to Zack's awaiting hands. "The Crystal of Tenebatos," Zack said in a quirky tone, his eyes comically wide as he stared tenaciously as the crystal.

"It took us long enough to get here," Cat grumbled, rubbing her temples. "I'm really tired, just put the damn crystal in the slot, Zack!"

Zack glowered and delicately placed the crystal in the obvious slot indicated. "There." He turned back to Cat. "The rest of the crystals, please. Cat hastily handed him the other three crystals, which he dropped into the lesser slots.

"Okay, the machine should work now," Zeth said impatiently, gazing at the machine. "Everyone go stand on the warping platform, please."

They all shuffled onto the circular stone platform and stood there, still in awe. "Here goes," Zeth said, and he pressed the button.

A green warping ball caught them in its aura and captured them all inside, whizzing into the distance. Zeth shut his eyes as the serene atmosphere slowly settled over them, and drifted off to sleep.

Zaria blinked in astonishment as she drank in the artistic interior of the Royal Castle of Torus…or was it? She turned around to face the others, who seemed just as overwhelmed as she was.

"Are we really here?" Cat managed to squeak.

"I think so," Zitan replied softly.

Moments later, a tall stately young man rushed into the room, looking overwrought. His eyes almost popped when he saw them. He stood there, gawking at them in bewilderment.

The young man was quite comely, a picture of perfection. His attractiveness had something of a feminine quality to it, his features more exquisite than any she had seen before. This young man was positively beautiful, lovelier than Zaria had ever imagined that a male could be. His gaze drifted over to her, and when his pacified stormy charcoal-gray eyes settled on her, it took her breath away. His silky and lustrous silvery blue hair shone in the light, his tresses framing his face in a most ideal way. His fair skin looked velvety and his manly frame somehow seemed svelte. The expression on his face was one of pure stupefaction, and his delicate rosy lips had parted in awe.

His very gaze sent a galvanizing sensation down her back, and Zaria shuddered slightly, and not from any sort of temperature. His gaze was so enthralling; it was as if he had cast a spell on her.

Zeth lifted his brow in surprise as he saw Zaria's venerating gaze of adoration at the young man whom had just walked into the room. He glanced around to Fuuko, Cat and Breanna and saw that their reactions were similar. He was stumped. What was it about this man that had enraptured them so? Well, sure, he was significantly good-looking, and his features were beyond perfect…Zeth shifted his gaze to the young man, and his own mouth opened in awe as he beheld the true beguile of this young man. He was undeniably a creature of incomparability, with his flawless complexion and perfect features, his glossy hair even silkier than Zeth's own. This man must have been distinctively created to evoke captivation in females and invidiousness in males, for he was the ultimate form of human…or was he?

The young man had pointy ears identical to Cat's protruding out of his silken silvery-blue tresses. He was an elf! That made perfect sense, for they were in Torus, the domain of the elven folk.

"Who are you?" the young man finally spoke in the most melodious voice imaginable, especially for a male.

All remained silent, enchanted by the young man.

"Who are you?" he repeated, a note of impatience seeping into the symphony that were his words.

At length Zeth managed to reply. "We're-we're here to see Prince Sky and Princess Star," he replied warily.

The young man's eyes immediately clouded over. "What business do you have with the Royal Twins of Torus?" he inquired obscurely.

Zeth slowly held out his hand with the letter from Queen Trisha. "Here," he said timidly.

The young man cautiously took the letter from Zeth and scanned it, his eyes brightening. "Aunt Trish," he murmured, and then looked up.

"I suppose an introduction is in order, then," he said courteously, bowing to them. "I have been expecting you all for a while, Warriors of Mage." The young man smiled as Zaria's mouth dropped open.

"Allow me to introduce myself to you. I am Prince Sky of Torus, son of King Link and Queen Lara."

"Link…" Zaria whispered in shock, nostalgia filling her thoughts. _I thought you might want to consider that you're not the only one who's being hurt._ She shook her head as if to shake the thought out.

"You're Prince Sky?" Cat asked incredulously, drinking him in from head to toe. A small smile appeared on her face. "Nice to meet you, Prince. I'm Cat Wingheart, and this here's Adrian Wingheart, no relations whatsoever," she clarified, smacking Adrian in the chest with the back of her hand.

Zack stepped up. "The name's Zack Strife, your highness," he said, bowing. Sky smiled, lighting up the whole room with the rapture he emanated from his irresistible smile.

"I know who you all are, Zeth, Zaria, Fuuko, Breanna, Cat, Adrian, Zack, Zitan," he said in turn, nodding to each of them. His eyes frosted again. "My sister told me of you before her unfortunate passing."

"Princess Star is…deceased?" Zaria asked in disbelief. "I'm so sorry, Prince Sky…"

Sky's gaze reoriented on her. "You're…you're Zaria Locke, aren't you?" he said delicately, his eyes looking troubled. He quickly shifted his gaze away. _Zaria Locke, the only perfect woman in the entire universe. The only one who can be…?_

Sky blinked. "You knew my father, didn't you," he said softly. He flickered his gaze up to Zeth. "And you're my blood uncle," he finished.

"Huh?" Zeth said, stupefied. "Me?"

"Yes," Prince Sky returned. "Link was…is your twin brother. And he is my father. He looked away. "But he's…he's not here now…I think he's gone…with my mother too."

"I'm sorry, Sky," Zaria said sensitively. Her eyes lit up in mortification. "Oh! Forgive me for being so insolent, your highness!" she cried, prostrating herself on the ground before the young prince.

Sky was abashed as he helped Zaria up and gazed into her crystalline verdant eyes. _You can do no wrong, Zaria Locke._He blinked and shook his head again. "All of you, call me Sky," he said firmly, and looked up at them all. "I'm Sky, not Prince Sky," he emphasized. He lifted up his hand.

"Rest at ease, Warriors of Mage," he said serenely, as a miniature blizzard brewed right in front of them. "For you have found me."

"Ice…Warrior," Zaria breathed, tears forming in her eyes. On impulse she reached over to Sky and hugged him tightly, the wetness coursing down her cheeks as she sobbed with relief. "We've finally found you," she whispered.

Sky's eyes were as wide as saucers, but then he slowly lifted his arms up and waveringly placed his arms around her, gently pulling her close.


	14. Chapter 14 Don't Be Afraid

Chapter 14 Don't Be Afraid 

"The city of Mage is awaiting us," Zaria murmured, her eyes closed. She opened her limpid emerald eyes and turned to Zeth. "We must make haste, for the time of chaos is drawing near."

"Time of chaos?" Zeth asked, mystified. Zaria grimaced. "I'm not quite certain…" she closed her eyes again and breathed deeply. Zeth could see the radical eye movement going on underneath her eyelids. She opened her eyes again.

"It's not the Black Hole project," she said quietly. She looked straight at him. "It's civil war."

"But aren't we supposed to go to Mage first?" Cat protested.

Zaria looked up at her. "Not anymore," she said abjectly. "Not with this more threatening, more immediate problem on our hands."

"But we will be going later on," Zeth finished. Zaria nodded, shifting her gaze to Prince Sky, whose subtle expression had not changed.

"You can come with us, can't you Sky?" she asked sanguinely.

Sky transferred his beautiful grey eyes to hers and nodded. "I have nothing left here," he said bleakly.

"Who will govern Torus if you're not here?" Fuuko queried, her inquisitiveness stirred.

"My administration here is quite competent," Sky replied duskily. "They've been doing the job since Star…Star departed. And I know they're loyal, they've been with us since my birth."

"Then that's another complication solved," Zaria concluded, nodding. "Good. You shall come with us…if you wish to." She looked at him most intently. "You appreciate perfectly well the risks you must take once you embark on this mission?" Her green eyes were mesmerizing. "It might be a one-way journey for all of us."

All were quiescent as they waited for Sky's response.

"I fathomed that prior to your arrival," he acknowledged calmly. "My life is naught, compared to the lives of all on this planet."

_Oh, how mistaken you are_, Zaria thought, gazing steadily at his delicately formed features. _Sky, if you could only see how you are a work of art, a depiction of the best of humanity…_

_Princess Star must have been quite lovely to be the twin of such a creature,_ Zaria decided. She cleared her throat and smiled winsomely. "I'm elated, Sky," she said humbly. "Thank you. Thank you for not being afraid."

"Don't be too worried about getting to Nova, you should be worried about what to do once we get there," Sky informed Zaria.

"How we gonna get there?" Zack grunted in his crude fashion.

Sky smiled. "You do forget that I am the Prince of Torus," he said imperviously. "I can readily find means for us to get to Nova, in the northern part of the continent, but I'm afraid we cannot disembark directly in Denzeling, for I anticipate that we will not wish our presence to be known."

"That's settled then," Zeth interpolated. Zaria turned to him and nodded. "Now we must establish a course of action to defend Denzeling from the Toki."

"Shouldn't we send a message to warn Prince Luke first?" Adrian asked solicitously.

Breanna nodded in agreement. "We really should, so King Rufus can set up his defenses."

"No," Zitan suddenly intoned. "No, because if King Rufus does that while we're still here, the Toki will somehow find out and use a different approach. What we must do is make haste to Denzeling and set up a subtle and unnoticeable line of magical defense."

Zaria looked up at him. "Yes, that is a good idea," she said softly, her gaze probing. She looked away. "Back to the primary inquisition. What do we do once we're there?"

"I have an inkling of a notion," said Sky. His eyes seemed somber. "We prepare King Rufus for the fact that in this battle, he's opposing his own son. His long-lost son, the former Crown Prince of Northern Nova."

Once aboard the ship, everyone parted ways and went about their own business, except for Zaria and Prince Sky, who remained on the upper deck near the stern of the ship, gazing out into the foamy hyaline below.

"You know, I had doubts that we'd ever find the Ice Warrior," Zaria said faintly, somewhat reticent from the evident attention the enchanting prince was giving to her.

Sky remained silent for a moment, and then spoke. "I would have had no idea that my powers were anything significant, had it not been for Star," he said mildly.

Zaria looked at him, his silky silvery-blue tresses fluttering gracefully in the breeze. She marveled at how exquisite and refined his features were. Was it possible that such an ideal creature lived? One who was so handsome yet so beautiful? He seemed ethereal. It was a wonder he didn't have a bevy of women following him around. "Tell me, Sky, how is it that you're not affianced or something of the like?" she inquired.

Sky smiled vaguely. "I had my sister to look after. She was quite infirm most of the time, and not many paid her the attention she rightfully deserved," he said, his eyes turning hard. "I didn't have much time to think of that matter, not that I really wanted to at any rate."

"What was Star like?" she asked unexpectedly.

Sky pursed his lips and then a blissful smile appeared on his face. "Oh, she was one of the most wonderful creatures there ever was," he mused, "and she would always sacrifice everything for the ones she loved." His facial expression became melancholy. "I suppose the Divine Ones wished for such a sweet female to be one of their maidens, for she was taken early in life, much too early."

Zaria felt her heart twinge for him. "I'm sorry," she said compassionately. "But you do have us now, if that makes you feel any better," she finished, a faint smile on her lips. Sky looked back at her, gazing intensely into her unclouded emerald orbs. She looked back at him just as profoundly, although her penetrating stare had an implication of impasse reflected in them.

"Zaria! You better get down here, Cat's getting motion sickness again!" Zack hollered from down below. "Hurry, or else she's gonna pollute the entire ocean!"

Zaria turned to the prince, chagrined. "I'd better go," she said ruefully, and rushed away, feeling somewhat flustered.

Sky stared after her yearningly, his heart beating eccentrically fast. He looked up at his namesake, thinking of his parents. _Oh Father, how could you have done this to me? To infiltrate my mind with thoughts of one female for all eternity and then tormenting me with the exquisite agony of having to be near her. Star, I pray, help me unearth a way to live without despair. _Sky closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering that first time he had heard her name.

"_Yes, Father," Sky said impatiently. "I am here. What is it you wish of me?"_

"_Sit down, Sky," said Link, patting the cushion next to him. "And I will tell you a tale of the most idyllic woman in the planet, the one whom I wish you could someday marry, if possible."_

"_I shall marry no one!" declared Sky importantly, "and if it should come that I must, I will only acquiescent to marry Star!"_

_Link laughed. "Oh, my child, the more you age the less you will think that. You couldn't possibly wed your sister!"_

_The seven year-old Sky pouted. "Be quick, Father! You're interrupting my playtime!" _

"_Calm down, Sky," Link said soothingly. "And listen to my tale of the perfect woman, the one whom so many loved and adulated." His gaze turned dreamy. "Even I fell under her captivating spell for a time."_

"_But don't you love Mother?" Sky asked innocently. _

"_Of course I have affection for your mother," said Link defensively. "It's possible to love different persons at different times, Sky. This you must comprehend. Yes, a long time ago…it's almost like a dream, really. I had a twin brother…"_

"_A twin!" exclaimed Sky. "Just like me, Father! I have a twin too! Except that Star is my twin sister!"_

"_Yes, I know that, my son," Link replied. "No, this was somewhat like another lifetime, where I grew up in Nova," he continued._

"_In Nova? But didn't you grow up in Hyrynd – I mean Torus, Father?" interjected Sky._

_Link frowned at his young son. "Desist interrupting, Sky, and let me speak." Sky kept silent, rebuked._

"_This woman was named Zaria…Zaria Locke…and she had the smile that exuded the warmth of a thousand suns…"_

_It was on the tip of Sky's tongue to say that the warmth of a thousand suns must have been terribly hot, but he kept his mouth shut and let his father reminisce about this woman who Sky would never meet._

"_Oh, she had everything a proper woman should have, and some fine masculine qualities at that. She could combat like a man, debate like a man, and devour like a man. Yet at times she was as feminine and gentle as you could imagine. Her long swirling hair reminded you of melted chocolate…"_

It had gone on and on during his childhood years, and continued up to his adolescent years. His father continued to talk about Zaria Locke constantly, and eventually in Sky's mind she became the ideal woman, therefore no woman save Star had been worthy enough in his eyes. And he well enough understood how his father had come to know Zaria, and he dreamed that he might meet her someday…

_Link handed a worn picture of Zaria to his fifteen year-old son. "I found this is my especial chest containing the belongings of my last life," he whispered. "I want you to have it, Sky."_

_Sky looked at the picture of Zaria, the Zaria that he felt like he knew already through all his father's stories. She was as enthralling and charming as his father had described…or did she just seem appealing because she had been painted that way in Sky's own mind?_

"_I will find a woman like this and no other," he promised, half to his father, half to himself. "I will find a woman like this, or I shall never wed."_

Sky smiled bitterly to himself as he recalled of all the mockery and ridicule he had to face during those years. Even Star seemed to doubt him at first.

_Star tentatively stepped towards her brother. "Sky," she said gently, "I have something to ask of you." Sky lifted his eyes and cast them towards her. "Yes?"_

_She swallowed. "Sky, I do very much appreciate how much you dote on me, and how well you take care of me, but sometimes I do wonder, don't you ever think of who will be your queen when you become King of Torus? Sometimes I wonder…do you even care for a woman, any woman beside Mother and I?"_

_Sky looked away. "No," he said haughtily. "What makes you ask?" _

_Star took a deep, long breath. "My brother," she pleaded, "please tell me the truth, for I know that cannot be so."_

_Her handsome brother turned towards her, his face looking strangely distorted. Star was upset at seeing her brother in such a condition. "Please, Sky, I can help you."_

_His eyes looked deeply distraught. "It's all Father's fault," he rasped. "It was all his doing…"_

"_Oh…my…" said Star quietly, comprehending instantly._

"_I'll never marry!" Sky cried forlornly. "For I do know very well that I shall never find a woman who measures up to her…never…and I haven't even met her!"_

"_Sky, my darling brother Sky," Star lamented for her brother, hugging him close to her and stroking his beautiful hair. "What has Father done to you? How could he have doomed his own son's heart in such a way?" she whispered, aggrieved. Teardrops trickled down her cheeks as she held her twin close, weeping for the love he would never apperceive._

"_I shall never find her," Sky sobbed. "Never." After a moment, he seemed to calm down and straightened himself up. _

"_If this is the way it must be, then I shall nevermore think of marriage or anything of the sort. You will be my queen, Star. And if you ever marry, I shall relinquish the throne to your consort," he said determinedly, his face rigid as stone. His perfect features seemed chiseled into a hard, cold expression. "This is the way it must be," he finished in an undertone._

_Star had been taciturn, gazing plaintively at her brother. The issue was never brought up between them again. Star knew that Sky was to meet such a female, but she also knew that it was up to himself to find happiness._

But indeed, the day that had to come did indeed come, and he had finally met the Zaria Locke he had dreamed of all his life. Oh, if she only had been a disappointment to him! But no, she was everything he had imagined her to be, and more! His father had done the most terrible thing conceivable to Sky. It was tormenting for him to be near her. But he would stand it. He had to. He would be strong. "I'll be strong for you, Star," he whispered, tasting the keen saltiness of his own tears.

_I vow that if one day it is somehow proven that Zeth Lanier is not worthy of Zaria, then that will be the day I set foot on the path to win her heart._

Five days later, they had reached the outskirts of Denzeling. The atmosphere was somewhat dismal and dull, far from the crystalline sublimity that it had been when they left.

They all could sense it. "You know, I have this feeling that–" Zack began. Zaria shushed him at once.

"We know," she said gently, her eyes looking murky, the emerald color having taken on a dark and sultry greenish tinge. They entered the city, taking pains to be as obscure as possible, although not many people were around. As they approached the inner sector of the city, shocking sights came into view. Many of the crystal buildings had been singed and were dull and charred, the limpidness gone. There was no one in the streets except a few that seemed to be timorously scurrying about. Those who were doing so looked furtively at them with big, fearful eyes. There was smoke rising from many of the buildings. It was all unmistakable. The Toki had already been there. There were too late.

No one spoke a word as they made their way to the castle, stopping to talk to no one, for none dared come near them.

"What could have happened here?" Cat murmured. Such a magnificent city…already halfway destroyed.

Once they reached the castle they were shocked to find that there was no guards at the door, no one to put up any defense. They simply walked right into the castle.

Zeth stood up tall, taking charge. "This is more than devastation," he said grimly. "We need to find Prince Luke and the King and Queen as soon as possible."

They rushed through the halls of the castle, which fortunately had not yet been ruined. They quickly made their way to the throne room where they had been earlier, and there they found Prince Luke, sitting on his father's throne.

Prince Luke looked up at them as they entered, and his guards immediately stood up and held up their spears threateningly. He had changed greatly, his appearance quite listless and haggard. His skin seemed sallow and anemic, and his eyes were so dull and watery you could barely make out the color. His hair had lost its proud luster, and seemed like a mop hanging limply over his eyes. He seemed frail and debilitated, not at all like his former self.

His eyes lit up slightly with recognition. "Zeth," he said in a voice Zeth could hardly recognize, a voice that held no aristocracy. His guards lowered their weapons.

"Prince Luke," he said, bowing deeply. "We came to warn you…but apparently we…didn't make it."

Prince Luke shook his head feebly. "No, I shouldn't have weakened when I saw my brother," he said sorrowfully. He looked ashamed. "As soon as I realized who he was…I lost all my ability to negotiate…and could only weakly listen as they told us to surrender or they would show their power.

"My father…would do nothing, and as soon as they left he retreated into his chamber and has not emerged ever since. I don't even know if he knows what has happened to the city yet. They were unstoppable! With their Zolom zombies…burning everything in sight…" he shook his head again. "I don't even want to think about how much the people have already suffered. They said they would return within a fortnight, and if I do not surrender they would destroy the entire metropolis." He looked at them with eyes full of despair. "I fear…I fear…that I must yield…"

"We were too late," Cat muttered, shaking her head. "There's nothing we can do now."

"You must not surrender the city," Zeth suddenly said. Everyone turned towards him, startled. He had a torrential, determined look blazing in his eyes.

"I-I don't know what I am to do," Prince Luke sputtered. "Our troops are in no condition to battle the Toki government armed forces after what has happened to our city, as we're completely depleted of resources. It's impossible for Southern Nova's troops to arrive in time as reinforcements, even thought I've already sent word…"

Zeth turned to him and faced him squarely. "The answer, Luke, is in us," he said tersely.

"In you?" Prince Luke looked puzzled.

"Yes, in us," Zeth established firmly. His eyes narrowed slightly. "We are all here, all us Warriors of Mage. We will be your army."

The Prince seemed flustered and uncomfortable. "I-I couldn't p-possibly prevail on you folk for such a favor, it would be improper for–"

"I think not," Zeth interspersed brusquely. "No, it is our duty to attend to such matters. And it's not like you have much of a choice, Luke. You sure as hell can't give up the city to the Toki – do you know how much chaos that might trigger? And it's not likely that King Julian's reinforcements will arrive in time." He turned to the others for their approbation, who slowly nodded one by one.

"We will go and battle the Toki for you in a battlefield of your choosing," Zeth concluded. "All we need is your troops to back us, and a few of your elite warriors whom we can depend on. Leave the rest up to us, Luke."

"I can't possibly make a decision such as this without due consideration," the Prince began, until Zeth held up his hand to hush him.

"Please," he emphasized. "Trust us on this, Luke. We can do this much for you. We can deal with them, especially now since we know that your brother is with them as well. Please."

Prince Luke gazed at Zeth for a moment, and then finally nodded slightly in acquiescence. "I am forfeiting the meager pride I have left for the good of the people," he said contritely, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm placing the existence of our Denzeling into your hands. I beseech you to save us."

"Can promise you only one thing, Luke. We'll try our best."

They waited unwearyingly many hours for the arrival of the Toki.

"It's so unlike them to be tardy, especially to carry out a threat," Cat commented. She held on to her whip tightly with rigid fingers. Cat closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it in a long sigh. This would be a hard battle, one of the hardest yet, she knew. And why was that? Because the enemy was one whom they did not want to harm.

All of a sudden Cat heard a whirring sound from behind her. She whirled around and snapped her whip swiftly, making a thunderous cracking noise on the floor. She relaxed slightly as she realized that it was Aya coalescing before her. "Aya!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing here at a time like this?"

Aya landed smoothly on the ground and shifted her substance into Rena's form. Rena ran over to Cat and astonished her by hugging her fleetingly.

"It's been awhile!" Rena gasped, her chest rising and falling as she huffed and puffed. "And it was quite a grueling process to get here, but here I am." She smiled cheerfully, her entire countenance lighting up. "We're here to help you," she informed them. "Aya said that…that the time…has finally come…" Rena stuttered, faltering. She took a deep breath and stood up straight. "The time has come for Logan to meet his father…in war…for if not, this skirmish is not to be resolved. It has been decreed," she finished steadily.

"H-how is that possible?" Zeth stammered. "King Rufus will not leave his chamber, much less come into battle with his first-born son."

"We must lure Logan into the castle alone," Zaria returned, "where we can detect his vulnerability and according to Rena, perhaps there will be a sign."

Rena glanced obliquely at Zaria. "I'm not sure whether to tell you or not, but I think you ought to know that Rafael Toki is also coming."

"What?" Zaria's face paled as all the blood rushed away.

"Rafael Toki is here," Zeth repeated for her. At the sound of his name, she blanched even more, her skin ashen. Sky perceived this unexpected manifestation of trepidation and strode briskly over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"He has done something to you," Sky noted, looking at her tenderly. "Do not fret, Zaria, for he may not come near you ever again. Zeth and I will see to that," he finalized, glancing explicitly at Zeth. Zeth nodded with apprehension.

"You know that we will all protect you from him," he assured her. She still looked terrified, her eyes large as saucers.

Rena cleared her throat and spoke again. "I will be here to fight too," she said peremptorily, "but we must all make sure that Logan gets to see his father and look him in the eye." She looked up at them. "This is vital."

"You can count on us," Zack inserted, and immediately stiffened as the castle door opened slightly.

A man with a Toki uniform on tentatively stepped in. He coughed. "Vice-President Rafael Toki and Professor Stonewall are here to end negotiations," he said. "They wish not to enter until the signification of this reception is specified," he continued, scrutinizing their weapons.

"What do you think the gist of this welcome is?" Zack growled sardonically. "Take a look around yourself, peon, and rush to tell your betters what you have seen."

The soldier's eyes widened and he hastily scurried back outside.

Zeth glanced askance at Zack, an amused glint in his eye. Without warning the massive doors burst open, and there stood Prince Logan and Rafael Toki, backed by at least ten times as many soldiers as they were. Zaria immediately shrunk back in perturbation, bumping into Sky who squeezed her hand quickly in assurance. Rafael Toki spied Zaria as fast as she had spied him and grinned vulgarly, shaking his blond bangs out of his eyes and smugly keeping his gaze on her, an ugly snarl on his handsome face. Prince Logan spoke first.

"So Prince Luke has refused accept our proposal," he sneered in derision. "So be it. After we have ravaged the Crystal Palace of Denzeling we shall move on to the rest of the city, but first we must establish our authority." His gaze drifted over to Rena and he seemed to go through a tornado of expressions.

"Rena," he finally said. "At last I find you. Enjoy your last few minutes of freedom before you go back to the hell you've come to call home," he said caustically.

She glowered at him angrily, her eyes gleaming. "I think not," she said just as grimly. "For you are nothing the way you are now, Logan," she spat.

His expression turned as heinous as Rafael Toki's. "Scorn me if you will," he muttered, "but the Toki will have the last laugh."

"Enough verbal battling, let's get down to business!" Zack cried, leaping towards him with his spear.

And then the battle began.

Rena quickly transformed into Aya, who rode up into the air and sent a wave of magic so strong it swept the entire Toki regiment off their feet, which provided the others with valuable time to attack.

"Hail Tempest!" Sky said serenely, and icy sleet was pelted down on the soldiers. "Frigid Squall of Death!" A huge glacier momentarily overlaid the regiment, and then Sky fell to his knees, drained. Zaria helped him back to his feet and healed him.

"Thunder Strike 3!" Cat shouted in the meantime, bringing down three soldiers. They continually clashed physically while one by one they each used their magic to hold the soldiers off when they drew too close for comfort. Rafael Toki and Prince Logan remained in the back, protected.

"Stop hiding back there like cowards!" Fuuko shouted as she hurled multiple lances of wind in their direction. The sharp wind barely missed them. Rafael scowled and leaped over his regiment into the front, firing his gunblade at Zeth.

"Tell your lackeys to call me a coward no more," he snarled, sticking his face mere inches from Zeth's and bringing his blade up next to his neck.

"These people you see here are all my equals and they may do as they wish," Zeth said evenly, clanging his sword up to brush Rafael's away. "Catch the gist, Raf?"

Rafael's eyes narrowed as he vaulted past Zeth and landed in front of Zaria. "Hey," he said garishly, grinning at her. She blanched and shakily brought up her swords. "Zaria!" Zeth cried from afar.

"I'm all right!" she called back, although somewhat tenuously. She turned back to Rafael. "You don't intimidate me, Raf," she said determinedly, moving away and bringing up her swords into battle position. She charged forward at godly speed and struck the blunt edge of her sword at Rafael's back.

"You bitch!" he cried, withdrawing in pain. He stood back up and charged towards her, but she dodged his blows deftly, his gunfire missing and injuring his own soldiers.

"Holy Light," she muttered quietly, and she rose up, bathed in radiance that rained down on Rafael Toki and threw him back to the other end of the hall, where he lay inertly. She collapsed to the ground before Sky, the nearest one to her, could catch her. "I did it," she whispered, her lips trembling, before closing her eyes.

Before someone could harm her, Sky expeditiously picked her up and hauled her over to Zitan, instructing him to heal her.

Rena glanced to the side and grinned slightly as she saw Rafael Toki being thrown and knocked out. The Toki forces had already been diminished by more than half. Yet Logan seemed to have kept himself covert.

"I'll find you if it's the last thing I do," she vowed, weaving her way through the combatants. She had to bring Logan to see his father.

_Are you certain you can do this, Rena?_

Oh yes, Aya, I'm sure. I've never wanted to do anything else more in my entire wretched life!

She finally spotted Logan glancing about furtively in the back. In her eyes flashed fury and affection and passion all mixed into one.

_Rena, you really ought to have me handle this…_

No, Aya, I can do it.

_I understand why you want to, but it's not going to happen, Rena. Logan will not be restored to you. It's merely not conceivable._

Aya…I beg of you, don't dash my one last hope. I really need to do this, or I will never be able to live with myself. Please, just allow me to do this. I know I can without botching everything!

_If you truly desire it to be that way…_

I do.

And she did.

Rena casually made her way up to Logan, who was now unprotected. He looked at her disdainfully as she approached him, and the look turned into one of arrogance. "So, you have decided to return to me of your own free will, you strumpet," he said nasally.

She looked up at him reproachfully. Then she lowered her head ignominiously. "Yes, indeed, for I have discovered that I cannot stay away, Professor," she said in a dulcet tone. "I just ask one last thing of you. Please, allow me to proceed momentarily to the King's chamber to obtain an item I have long coveted."

Logan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Brainwashed as he may be, he was no fool. "I do have a notion of how your absurd little mind works. What is your cardinal objective here?"

Rena raised her head and looked at him innocently with the most ethereal jade-green eyes that could ever exist. "I only want to take along a keepsake of your subjugation here to remind me of your veritable power and how much of a fool I was to attempt to escape," she said, gazing up into his eyes. "Please," she implored. "I will be back soon."

Logan scowled for a moment and then nodded his head slightly. "If you must," he muttered, "I shall come with you to ensure that you do not try to pull any ruses."

"It would make it even more pleasant to have you accompany me, Logan," Rena said mellifluously. She took his hand and led him through the throng of warriors. "Come."

Aya, please make us indiscernible to the Toki. Perhaps a semi-spell of invisibility would suffice?

_Done. Nice work, Rena. You performed quite a laudable task in beguiling Logan to come along._

Rena lowered her eyes morosely. _At the price of my own heart_, she thought.

From the far end of the vast hall, Cat could see Rena and Logan pushing their way through all the soldiers, being as obscure as possible. She breathed a sigh of relief. Now all they had to do was hold off the soldiers while Rena took Logan to see King Rufus…hopefully nothing severe would happen.

She whipped around just as another soldier aimed his sword at her. Guns and firearms were not much used in battle, but mostly used for singular assassination missions, as Cat had come to learn. Most warriors still used basic weapons for warfare and combat because those who were adept in the arts of combat could use them most readily. Firearms were saved for those who were incompetent and didn't know how to fight, except for the sharpshooters and snipers, who ordinarily did those assassination assignments. One could tell the difficulty of upcoming battles by seeing the weapons of one's opponents.

It was obvious that all the Toki soldiers had been excellently trained, for they were all apt at utilizing weapons that did not spout fire.

She cast a miniscule thunder spell on the three opponents in front of her, who then fell to the floor, stunned by the electric shock. She smirked. They wouldn't be arising for the interim. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Zaria slinking out of the room inconspicuously, following Rena and Logan. She frowned slightly. Someone else ought to have gone as well. Cat was instantly set at ease when she saw Sky just as inconspicuously trail behind her. The handsome prince would accompany her. She chuckled to herself. Zaria seemed to inadvertently radiate charisma that reached all kinds of creatures, including herself. What would Zeth conceive of that?

"Oof!" The wind was knocked out of Cat as she brutally was thrown to the floor. After catching her breath she shot back up and drop kicked the soldier, but ended up missing and swinging at air. Her double-or-nothing move had been nothing, and Cat dropped to the ground on her front, thoroughly debilitated and battered.

"Oh, leave me alone," she muttered, her world blurring before her. Her eyes slowly slid shut.

"Cat!" Zeth shouted from only a few meters away as he saw his friend stagger to the ground. "Cat, hang in there!"

His jaw tensed as he stroked his sword to the side deftly, tightening his well-proportioned robust arm sinews. Sweat poured profusely over his brow, but he had no time to bring his wrist up to wipe it off. Some of his hair was matted to his forehead. His dank bronze strands intensified in their rich shade, the perspiration making them glisten.

Fuuko glanced sidelong at Zeth, reminded of just how good-looking he really was. But still…no one was comparable to Sky in appearance. She mechanically kept her body in motion, ceaselessly swinging her compressed air claws. Practically every female that set eyes on Sky involuntarily became fixated on him, the most ideal male ever to grace the heavens, which was really what Sky was. He was the heavens, the vault of heaven, the ideal counterpart. And remarkably, he found Zaria just as heavenly as the rest of them found him to be.

_Which presumably wouldn't go too well for Zeth_, Fuuko thought ruefully. She sighed internally, feeling sympathetic for Zeth. Zaria had seemed quite taken with Sky, and moreover, Fuuko knew that Zeth perceived it.

Oh yes, she herself was by all means very impressed by Sky, but Zeth was quite impressive himself, and maybe Zaria was taking it for granted that such a wondrous person cared for her so, now that another marvel of pulchritude also took a special interest in her. Or was she judging Zaria too quickly? Any female would be beyond dazzled to have one such as Sky paying so much attention to her, but then again, any female would be amply dazzled to have one such as Zeth pay attention to her. It would have to be remedied, Fuuko decided authoritatively. She would see to that.

"Squall of Turbulence!" A whole troupe of men was laid low as the wind rushed over their heads and the others quickly struck the final blows. Fuuko flicked her eyes towards Zeth. He turned his aqua gaze toward her, visibly perturbed.

_She left us_, his eyes said. Fuuko felt the blood rush to her face as she looked away, her eyes full of sympathy.

She saw the silvery blue tresses ephemerally when she whipped around. "Oh, Sky, you followed me," Zaria said, her voice full of relief and displeasure at the same time. She was relieved that there was a friend there along with her, but also displeased because that implied that Sky didn't think that she could handle this herself. There was no response from Sky, who was still hiding behind the pillar as obscurely as possible. "Sky, you can come out now," she murmured. "It's only me here."

"Get…back…here…" she heard him speak softly.

"What?"

"Now…quickly…"

Zaria moved swiftly and hurried over to the pillar where Sky was hiding and unobtrusively stepped to his side. "What is it?" she asked him, feeling quite self-conscious. He turned his handsome head in her direction and put his index finger to his lips.

"Just a moment," he said quietly.

Zaria exhaled and stood there waiting while Sky focused on the source of magic coming from nearby from their position.

"Something strange is going on," he muttered, his stormy grey eyes flitting back and forth. His flawless fair complexion paled, making his skin an implacable shade of white. "I feel…I feel strange magic operating…we…we must get out of this hallway!"

"What?" Zaria repeated, alarmed. Sky grabbed her hand and wrenched her towards the nearest door out of that hallway. It was all she could do to keep herself from falling as she stumbled after him. "What are you doing, Sky?" she cried, but then was hushed when she felt a malevolent presence slip by her as she was running. A shiver ran through her body. It wasn't any typical, ordinary magic. This was state-of-the-art magic that was pursuing them.

Oh, how alarmed she was, but Zaria knew that Sky would have something in mind. She remained silent as they fled. "Stop!" Sky shouted, and he pushed her down to the ground and plunged down beside her.

"Frost Shield," he murmured, and a translucent barrier was formed over them. As hard as she tried, Zaria could not prevent a whimper from escaping. "I know you feel the cold," Sky said soothingly, "but it's what protects us." Zaria still couldn't help but shiver, but was taken aback when she felt Sky spreading his heavy cloak over her.

"Don't look outside," he whispered. But Zaria looked, then immediately chastised herself for doing so. For outside was one of the most horrifying sights she had ever seen, a grotesque blob that vaguely resembled a Zolom Zombie. Oh, how that figure could still frighten her so!

"Make it go away," she moaned, her stomach clenching in fear.

"It's after us," Sky said gravely. "I can only attack if I withdraw the barrier…but then that would leave us vulnerable. Somehow, it knew that we were sneaking up on Prince Logan."

"Make it go away," she repeated, burying her face in her hands. Sky slowly pried her hands away and looked her in the eye.

"To do that, I must remove the barrier and you must be prepared to defend yourself. You must trust me."

Zaria shrank back in fear but then gazed into Sky's eyes and saw his sincerity. "I…trust you," she whispered weakly, and closed her eyes. She felt the air around her warm slightly as Sky removed the icy barrier. They were faced with a horrendous Zolom Zombie peering down at them.

"Freeze Level 3," Sky said quietly, focusing his magic on the zombie. He turned towards Zaria. "Cast your Holy," he instructed. "Only the sword of a Being may exterminate this creature, and that we do not have. We must lay the creature low and defer it until someone who is eligible of slaying it comes upon us. But then, we might be faced with another fight, a fight with a Being."

Zaria quickly cast her Holy on the creature, feeling bleak. What were the chances that a Being would come to their rescue?

"I sense something," Zeth said, his sweat pouring down his brow.

Fuuko turned his way abruptly. "What is it?" she asked, alarmed. "If you need to go anywhere, Zeth, the rest of us can hold them off here." She punctuated her statement with another blow, eliminating yet another Toki soldier. "Almost feel bad ridding the planet of all this trash," she muttered. She turned back to him. "Go quickly!"

He nodded and delivered one last strike to the opponent in front of him and fled towards the Royal Chamber. He tore through the impressive doorway and slammed it shut behind him. He continued to run with all his speed. He knew it know. He could sense it. It was none other than the Zolom Zombie, whose DNA the Toki had gotten from a Being planet. He recognized the scent all too well.

_Zaria's in there,_ he realized, and that realization made his speed increase. Finally he slid to an abrupt stop. "It's somewhere around here," he muttered to himself, closing his eyes. He could feel its presence nearby…

"Destruction!" he shouted, his eyes flying open as he whirled around and let a flow of magic shoot itself into the zombie's body.

The zombie let out a ghastly shriek as it dropped to the ground. It wailed and pulled itself up again, its rot soiling the floor. Zeth gritted his teeth and pulled out his sword and held it in front of him, focusing his magic into it. "Destruction…SWORD!" he howled, driving the blade into its decrepit body. He scrunched his eyes shut and clenched his jaw as the rot spewed all over him. It smelled gruesome, but he persisted in hacking away at the creature. Soon it lay in pieces on the ground, and none of the pieces stirred. It had been destroyed. Zeth took a deep breath and then immediately began violently coughing, the spasms shaking his chest. What a stench! He hurriedly wiped his sword off and sheathed it and set off at a run.

_Zaria, where could you be?_ These zombies were horrendous foes if not dealt with properly. For if one who did not have the proper magic tried to decapitate it, the parts would simply regenerate themselves into separate zombies, putting the person in an even more dreadful predicament. He prayed to the Divine Ones that she hadn't encountered one of them.

"I don't think this is the way to go!" he heard a female voice shout from not far ahead. Zeth sprinted the rest of the way and came upon Zaria and Sky, but neither of them was clearly in view, for they were blocked by literally dozens of zombies.

"Zaria!" he cried. She didn't seem to hear him, but he could see and hear her clearly.

"Frigid Squall of Death!" Sky called, wielding his sickle up high. Zeth bounded out of range as a glacier settled over the mass of zombies. He dashed at maximum velocity and launched himself into the air over the zombies, landing right in front of Sky and Zaria.

"Move back!" he directed, and Sky produced his barrier around Zaria and himself. "THE END!" Zeth shouted, summoning a colossal current of Destruction. The sinister magic drifted over to the zombies and exploded, blowing them all into bits. Putrid debris flew everywhere, spattering Zeth's clothing.

However, the zombies had been vanquished. Zeth smiled in satisfaction and turned around to look at Sky and Zaria, winking as he did so. Sky dissolved his Frost Shield.

"Zeth!" Zaria cried, rushing into his arms. "Thank you for coming in time to save us!"

Sky tried to smile in gratitude, but discovered he couldn't. It hurt too much. "Why don't we go to the King's chamber now?" he heard himself saying. "Or else our leaving the main battle would have been a complete waste."

Another shaft whizzed through the air and wedged itself into another Toki soldier. "Yes," Adrian murmured, sending three more simultaneously in yet another direction.

"Did anyone notice that Prince Logan is gone?" Fuuko called out. Adrian whipped his head around, scanning the throng for the prince.

"Yes!" he shouted in reply. "He's gone, but I think I saw him leaving with Aya, so hopefully that's under control!"

Meanwhile, Rafael Toki was regaining consciousness. "Almost got them all!" Zack called cheerfully. And it was true. There were only about twenty Toki soldiers left in battle. Most of them were either injured or had escaped, whereas most of the Denzeling army was still standing.

"Triple Apocalypse!" Zack shouted, calling forth his strongest dosage of Apocalypse, getting rid of half the soldiers that were left.

A few minutes later, the battle was over.

"Whoo-hoo!" Cat cheered. "We won!" In their exhilaration, they didn't notice that Rafael Toki had left.

Rena stopped abruptly when she reached the most majestic doors she had ever seen.

_Yes, this is the chamber of King Rufus._

Rena glanced back at Professor Stonewall. "Professor, we're here," she told him sweetly. "I can go in on my own now. Are you certain you need to come along?"

_Good. Bait him._

"Of course I need to go with you," he growled. "I still don't trust you, wench."

Rena shrugged. "As you wish." She pushed open the double doors, and within the room she saw King Rufus sitting unaccompanied.

"Don't disturb me!" the King barked. "If you have business with the Queen, she's in the next room. I'm not to be disturbed under any circumstances!"

"Please, your majesty," Rena said dulcetly. "There's someone you might want to meet. She turned around and gestured to the professor.

"So this is your plan!" Professor Stonewall snarled. "I should have known. Well, it won't work, wench!"

King Rufus was shaking his head in disbelief. "Logan," he murmured. "My son, returned to me at last…but alas, not as himself."

"You got that right, old geezer!" Professor Stonewall declared. "So I suggest you surrender Northern Nova to the Toki here and now! It would save a lot of bloodshed of your countrymen."

King Rufus's eyes were watery. "My son…" he whispered. "This can't be you." The door of the room flew open.

"It's not!"

Zaria stood there, breathing heavily. "It's not!" she stressed. "This isn't who Prince Logan really is! He's been brainwashed by the Toki!"

"You must not give in, King Rufus!" Rena added.

"What are all you fools entailing?" Professor Stonewall demanded. "Do not underrate my power! Do not provoke me if you do not wish to die!"

"My son!" King Rufus cried, rushing towards Professor Stonewall.

"Noooo!" Zaria shouted, reaching her hand out. "He's dangerous! Stay away from him!" Zeth raced towards the two, attempting to push the King away from his son, but did not succeed. King Rufus had clasped Professor Stonewall in his embrace and was crying.

"Your majesty!" Rena cried, alarmed. Fortunately, Professor Stonewall was not harming the King.

"Logan," the King wept, holding his son. Professor Stonewall began to shake erratically.

"What's happening to him?" Sky asked anxiously. The professor slowly lifted his arms up and wrapped them around the King. Then he slowly began squeezing, harder and harder.

"No! Logan, stop!" Rena cried, rushing to them both.

_He's trying to smother the King!_

"LOGAN!" Rena screamed shrilly. The professor abruptly loosened his grip on the King and began shaking again. The others could do nothing but watch in horror. Professor Stonewall shook even harder; so vigorously his teeth began to rattle.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screeched in agony. All of a sudden, he whole body undulated and there was a deafening crack. He opened his eyes, which were now…gentle. Tears slowly slid down his cheeks.

"Logan…he's back!" Rena whispered, overjoyed.

"Father!" Prince Logan cried, and held his father closely to him, sobbing. He then let go of his father. "I…I'm free," he breathed. "I'm free of the bondage. I…I'm myself again!" He turned towards the rest of them and spied Rena, who was gazing at him with the tenderest expression on her face.

"Oh, Rena," he whispered sorrowfully, "if you can never find it in your heart to forgive me for what I've put you through, I'll accept that." He cast his eyes downward. "I had no command over my actions. It was like I didn't exist anymore. But ever since I saw you that one time when you were escaping, I've been able to see through Professor Stonewall's eyes, to see what was going on around me, although I had no control over myself. It was terrible."

Rena took a step towards him, her face streaked with salty droplets. "How could I not forgive you?" she wept, hastily rubbing the tears out of her eyes. "It didn't matter how cruelly you treated me…I knew you were in there, fighting to come back out."

Prince Logan looked up at her. "I'm so sorry, Rena!" he cried, reaching out for her. She ran into his embrace, the both of them in tears.

Zaria, almost in tears herself, smiled at Zeth and Sky. "Our work here is complete," she said softly. "It's time for us to go."

"NOT SO FAST!" a voice boomed from the door. It was Rafael Toki, roughly dragging Queen Trisha. He had his gunblade to her throat. He smirked as he dragged the Queen further into the room.

"Queen Trisha!" Zaria cried.

"I knew you were untrustworthy from the start," he growled, gesturing to Prince Logan, who drew back in trepidation. He smiled. "Therefore, I have Plan B in action. In Plan B, I single-handedly eliminate the entire royal family of Northern Nova. Doesn't that sound sweet to you?"

"That won't be happening with us around," Zeth muttered menacingly, unsheathing his sword. Zaria brought out her twin swords threateningly and Sky held up his sickle ominously.

Rafael threw his head back and laughed chillingly. "Please, I dealt with two of you with no difficulty last time. What makes you think that I can't handle three of you?"

"Try us," Zaria said, grinning wickedly. Rafael laughed even harder. "Why do you think I brought the Queen with me? So you could just waltz over and attempt to exterminate me?"

"Which is why we must separate you from the Queen," Sky informed him condescendingly, bounding over with lightning speed and wrenching the Queen away from his grasp. Rafael howled in anger and lunged towards Sky, but Zeth was hot on his tail. Rafael whirled around and slashed at Zeth, wounding him in the chest. Zeth cried out in pain as he fell to the floor.

"Cure," Zaria murmured, healing him. However, while she was doing so Rafael was charging towards the King.  
"King Rufus!" Rena cried, running to block the King from the blade.

"Rena!" Logan cried, running to block Rena from the blade.

"Double Slash!" Richard bellowed malevolently, slashing at both Rena and Logan.

"NOOOO!" King Rufus cried, leaping towards his son.

"King Rufus!" Sky yelled, releasing the Queen and diving towards the King. Rafael was swift as he snatched Zaria and dexterously brought his blade up to her fair throat.

"Anyone move and she's dead!" he shouted, glaring at all of them. "I know you can use magic, but if any of you try to draw on a spell, this Locke girl is history!"

"Go help them and ignore me!" Zaria cried to Zeth and Sky. Both of them froze in place, uncertain about what to do.

"Shut up!" Rafael snarled. He brought the hilt of his blade up to Zaria's head and struck her unconscious.

"Zaria!" Zeth shrilled, enraged. He charged into Rafael head-on, wrenching Zaria away from his grasp. Meanwhile, Sky was checking on Prince Logan and Rena.

"Oh, no!" Sky cried. "Rafael's blade is soaked in poison!" Indeed, they were severely wounded and seemed to be drifting out of consciousness.

"Destruction!" Zeth barked in fury, and the Destruction focused itself on Rafael Toki, completely annihilating him. Rafael was gone. Zeth dropped to his knees, exhausted from the effort of so tremendous an invocation of magic.

"Zaria, get up!" Sky wailed, shaking her gently. "Rena and Logan are nearly done for!"

Rena slowly opened her eyes to look at the others, and then turned around to look at Prince Logan.

Aya…am I dying?

_Shhhh. Keep your thoughts at rest, Rena._

You can tell me. I can feel my body weakening…

_I know you feel the pain, but it means nothing! Pain means nothing!_

What will you do if I die?

_You're not going to die, Rena._

I…I think I am. Tell Logan that…I'll see him in Heaven.

_Rena…_

Or I'll tell him myself.

Rena opened her eyes again and gazed towards Prince Logan. "Logan," she whispered.

He painstakingly brought his head around to gaze at her. "Rena…I'm sorry I will never see you walk down the aisle…and we can never grow old…"

"Of course you will!" Queen Trisha sobbed. "You won't die, my son!"

In the meantime, Sky and Zeth were still trying to revive Zaria to heal the two and King Rufus had gone out for help.

"I fear…I will be gone soon…" Rena breathed. "Logan…I'll see you in Heaven."

Prince Logan's lips slowly curved into a smile. "Yes. I'll see you in Heaven."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Rena smiled and took another deep breath. That was her last one.

"I could've saved them!" Zaria moaned, burying her face in her hands. "I failed them. I failed them!"

"It's not your fault, Zaria," Fuuko consoled. "At least they're together now."

A beam of moonlight appeared on the floor and grew larger and larger until Princess Louvia and Prince Claude materialized. Princess Louvia wordlessly walked over to Rena, bent over her and touched her forehead with two fingers and chanted a prayer.

"What is she doing?" Zaria asked, alarmed.

Prince Claude turned toward her. "We will keep Aya's spirit safe until you need her again, Zaria. And if you do not need her again then we shall keep her until her curse is lifted and she can go on to the afterlife. The body she inhabited has been killed, therefore Aya cannot escape it of her own free will, and so we must take her. She is after all one of our many descendants, just as you are. Rest assured, Zaria. She will be safe."

"Thank the Divine Ones that it is so," Zaria breathed. "What are we to do now, Prince Claude?"

"It is time for us to build the barrier," Sky answered, glancing at the Prince of the moon.

"Yes, what the Ice Warrior says is correct," Prince Claude said, eyeing him. "His sister was one of the most knowledgeable creatures ever to grace the planet, even more so than you, Zaria. She has bestowed upon her twin brother all the information there is to know about what you must do and what might come to pass, so Sky is a great source of information."

Sky raised his eyes to meet Prince Claude's. "And my sister…where is she now?"

"Not in my kingdom," the Prince replied. "I give you a gift, Prince Sky of Torus," he said, tossing something in the air over to the Sky. A glowing blue light surrounded Sky. "It is the gift of Cure magic, which will make you priceless soon," he muttered, looking down. "Use it as well as you can, but remember magic cannot cure everything." Princess Louvia stood up and nodded. "It is time for us to take our leave," the Prince said. "Farewell. I mean it. Take care of yourselves, and do not let your guard down. Don't lose faith." And with that, they dematerialized into the moonbeam, which slowly disappeared.

"Go to Mage," Prince Luke told them. "My parents will recover soon. Life does go on. And…I'm sure if I had known Logan in his later years I would have been able to speak for him as well. I've held you here long enough."

"But Luke," Sky said, "this is the time when you need support the most."

Prince Luke shook his head. "You must go. Didn't you need to go to Mage? Giselle already told me. Every day counts, for our time is running out. You must do what you have to do."

Zaria gazed up at the Prince. "What you say is true, your majesty," she said softly. "I'm afraid we must depart forthwith."

The Prince nodded in agreement. "I will provide transportation for you to Southern Nova within the hour."

"It is unnecessary, Prince Luke!" Zeth exclaimed. "You must keep all your workforce here in order to commence with the restoration of Denzeling!"

Prince Luke waved it off. "No need. Consider it a favor to my cousin, who is in turn your nephew," he said, nodding towards Sky. "You all have done so much for us here in Denzeling, the least we can do is help you in any way we can."

Zeth's face stiffened, but he nodded in assent. "Then thank you, Prince Luke," he said humbly. "We deeply appreciate your thoughtfulness."

The time had finally come. Zaria knew that it was inevitable, but she dreaded it nonetheless. Who knew what would come to pass once they reached the ancient city of Mage? It was just as unnerving as the trip to Tenebatos had been.

Lately, however, the situation between Zeth and herself had become slightly awkward in some aspects. She had a feeling that he knew that there was a certain force pulling him away from her protection, from her grasp. She knew his resolve was weakening, that perhaps a part of him was still incomplete. And she knew why. Because the part of Zeth that would complete him and make him virtually invulnerable to the Beings was Zitan, and there was no known way to merge Zeth and Zitan to make a complete General Tide. But then…Zeth was the one she had fallen in love with. Did it matter whether he was fully General Tide or not? Zaria didn't know.

However, Sky was here now and he would be here to stay, Zaria could feel it. Which was a good thing, since he was stable and informative and very capable. If things fell apart, Sky would find a way to keep the pieces together. She only prayed that what fell apart would not be the one she loved most.


End file.
